Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government on what dates (1) Thames Water, (2) Yorkshire Water, and (3) Northumbrian Water, paid in full the respective fines of £104 million, £47 million and £17 million announced by Ofwat on 6 August 2024.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Water Industry Act 1991 requires Ofwat to publish a draft decision for consultation if it is going to impose an enforcement order or a penalty as a result of an enforcement case. Following the period of consultation, Ofwat considers all responses received and takes these into account when making its final decision.
On 20 March 2025 Ofwat announced the conclusion of its wastewater enforcement case into Yorkshire Water securing an enforcement package of £40 million to be paid by the company.
On 28 May 2025 Ofwat issued an enforcement order and financial penalty to Thames Water. This was the final decision in two investigations looking into the operations of Thames Water, which faces penalties totalling £122.7 million, including £104 million for the wastewater investigation. This penalty has not yet been paid. Ofwat set out that Thames Water should pay the fine by 20 August.
On 4 June 2025 Ofwat announced the conclusion of its wastewater enforcement case into Northumbrian Water securing an enforcement package of £15.7 million to be paid by the company.
Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will commission an independent inquiry into how hip replacements containing cobalt have affected the lives of patients.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is committed to ensuring that all medical devices on the United Kingdom’s market meet stringent safety and performance standards. It continuously monitors the safety of orthopaedic implants using data from adverse incident reports, national registries, and clinical input to identify emerging risks.
Currently, the MHRA has not identified a safety signal to suggest that cobalt chrome components used more broadly in hip replacements pose an increased or unacceptable risk to patients. Therefore, there are no plans to commission an independent inquiry into hip replacements containing cobalt chrome.
Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many business liquidations remain incomplete (1) 5 years, (2) 10 years and (3) 15 years or more after their commencement; and how many have been investigated for undue delay.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of businesses subject to pre-pack administration survive longer than (1) 5 years, (2) 10 years, and (3) 15 years.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 18 June (HL8190), what assessment they have made of analysis published by Tax Policy Associates on 17 May suggesting that 900,000 UK registered companies have no UK resident directors.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
No specific assessment has been made in respect of the analysis in question. Relevant legislation does not impose UK residency requirements upon company directors.
Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government who receives the fines levied upon insolvency practitioners.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
Fines levied against insolvency practitioners are a disciplinary measure applied and collected by one of the three Recognised Professional Bodies which, under the oversight of the Insolvency Service operating on behalf of the Secretary of State, are responsible for authorising and regulating insolvency practitioners.
Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government on what date Thames Water paid the £18.2 million fine announced by Ofwat on 19 December 2024 for violation of dividend payment rules.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ofwat's enforcement case against Thames Water for breach of Dividend rules was concluded on 28 May 2025. Thames Water now has until 20 August 2025 to pay the fine.
Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of carbon emissions generated by private planes entering or leaving the UK.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
This Government is committed to delivering greener transport and is considering its strategic approach to decarbonising aviation.
In 2023 the Department for Transport published research which estimated carbon emissions from UK-registered General Aviation aircraft arriving and departing from UK aerodromes in 2019. General Aviation includes all non-scheduled civil aviation, including business aviation.
By considering the typical maximum take-off weight of aircraft used for business aviation, his research found that approximately 370 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent were emitted by UK registered business aviation or larger recreational aircraft. Emissions from non-UK registered aircraft were not included.
Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to require all large companies to publish a country-by-country report.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government does not currently plan to require large companies to publish their country-by-country reports. The government keeps tax policy under review but believes that public country-by-country reporting should apply consistently across all multinationals, and therefore an approach should be developed internationally.
More widely, the government’s ambition is to design out non-compliance in the tax system and make the tax system easier and quicker to deal with for taxpayers, delivering the modern and digital service taxpayers expect.
Asked by: Lord Sikka (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what fines they have levied on P&O Ferries Limited and its directors for failure to file annual audited financial statement at Companies House within the statutory prescribed time for the accounts made up to (1) 31 December 2021, (2) 31 December 2022, and (3) 31 December 2023.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
P&O Ferries Limited has incurred the following penalties for delivering overdue accounts for the reporting years specified:
31 December 2021 | £1500 |
31 December 2022 | £3000 |
Accounts for the year ending 31 December 2023 will incur a £3000 penalty when they are delivered.