Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department held discussions with the EU Commission on the development of the ReArm Europe plan; and whether his Department is taking steps with the EU Commission to establish a means through which the UK can (a) contribute to and (b) be supported through this plan.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We strongly welcome the ambitions of the ReArm programme and believe it is in the interest of European defence to create a structure that allows member states to partner with the UK. Officials and Ministers frequently engage EU counterparts, including High Representative Kaja Kallas, who met with the Defence and Foreign Secretaries in London last month, the first visit by an EU High Representative since the UK left the EU. During which they discussed the need for EU defence financing and wider defence industrial initiatives to be inclusive of third countries like the UK and we will continue to do so.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the police to recover money obtained via theft by serious organised crime.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 contains significant powers to assist police forces in identifying, freezing and recovering criminal assets. Police forces utilise confiscation orders to deprive offenders of the proceeds of their criminal conduct. A confiscation order is imposed by the court against a convicted defendant, ordering them to pay the amount they benefited from their criminal activity.
If the defendant has benefited from the crime but has no assets, the court will record the amount of the benefit and make a nominal order. If the defendant later acquires assets, or further assets are discovered, the prosecution can apply to the court to increase the amount that a defendant must pay.
Police forces have dedicated 'Asset Confiscation Enforcement' (ACE) teams that provide a coordinated response to confiscation enforcement and tackling priority enforcement orders to ensure proceeds of crime are recovered.
Financial investigation practices and legislation are regularly reviewed. The Crime and Policing Bill includes reforms which will bolster confiscation, by giving the courts more powers to make realistic and proportionate confiscation orders, expedite the enforcement of unpaid orders, and streamline confiscation proceedings. These reforms will improve asset recovery outcomes ensuring criminals are deprived of their benefit from crime and lead to more funds being returned to victims; and more funds reinvested into law enforcement.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the 2002 Proceeds of Crime Act in recovering criminal profits made from high-profile theft.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) is the primary framework for recovering the proceeds of crime. POCA is crime agnostic and can be applied for any crime type where the criminal has benefited from crime. If a defendant is convicted of a criminal offence, such as high-profile theft, an order can be placed on the individual to pay the equivalent value of their criminal benefit.
POCA also provides for the recovery of any assets that are suspected to be derived from criminality, regardless of a criminal conviction.
The Home Office publishes an annual statistical bulletin which outlines the high-level trends on the use of POCA powers and other relevant legislation. Within the bulletin a breakdown by offence group is provided of which Theft is a category. Over the past six years of collecting data, criminal confiscation receipts for theft are of a value of £40.1 million and a further £224.8 million was restrained to pay toward confiscation.
Further detail of these figures can be found in the published tables 6, 7 and 8 as part of the Annual Statistical Bulletin on Asset Recovery.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of financial investigation practices by police forces in cases where significant funds remain unrecovered.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 contains significant powers to assist police forces in identifying, freezing and recovering criminal assets. Police forces utilise confiscation orders to deprive offenders of the proceeds of their criminal conduct. A confiscation order is imposed by the court against a convicted defendant, ordering them to pay the amount they benefited from their criminal activity.
If the defendant has benefited from the crime but has no assets, the court will record the amount of the benefit and make a nominal order. If the defendant later acquires assets, or further assets are discovered, the prosecution can apply to the court to increase the amount that a defendant must pay.
Police forces have dedicated ‘Asset Confiscation Enforcement’ (ACE) teams that provide a coordinated response to confiscation enforcement and tackling priority enforcement orders to ensure proceeds of crime are recovered.
Financial investigation practices and legislation are regularly reviewed. The Crime and Policing Bill includes reforms which will bolster confiscation, by giving the courts more powers to make realistic and proportionate confiscation orders, expedite the enforcement of unpaid orders, and streamline confiscation proceedings. These reforms will improve asset recovery outcomes ensuring criminals are deprived of their benefit from crime and lead to more funds being returned to victims; and more funds reinvested into law enforcement.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Oral Statement of 17 March 2025 on G7, Official Report, column 41 and 46, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK is fulfilling its obligations under international humanitarian law.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As soon as the Foreign Secretary took office, he ordered a review into Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL), which concluded that there was a clear risk that UK export items might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations IHL. I also receive legal advice as appropriate on the UK's obligations. The IHL assessments continue and we are closely monitoring developments in Gaza and will keep this position under review. The UK has raised compliance with IHL with Israel at the most senior levels and has discussed it with G7 partners.
We have suspended relevant export licences to Israel for use in military operations in the Gaza conflict. We have continued to review export licences for items to Israel and assess that there are no extant licences for items that might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of IHL. This is subject to the specific measures set out before Parliament excluding exports to the global F-35 programme from the scope of the suspension.
Our longstanding position is that it is for the courts to determine whether or not a crime has been committed.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2025 to Question 38925 on Chelsea Football Club: Sales, whether he has a timetable for when the proceeds from the sale will reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is working with international partners, has engaged with Abramovich's team, and is exploring all options to ensure the proceeds reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine. While it would not be appropriate to provide a running commentary on discussions, we are doing everything we can to make progress on this matter as quickly as possible.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2025 to Question 38925 on Chelsea Football Club: Sales, what steps his Department has taken to secure access to the proceeds.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is working with international partners, has engaged with Abramovich's team, and is exploring all options to ensure the proceeds reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine. While it would not be appropriate to provide a running commentary on discussions, we are doing everything we can to make progress on this matter as quickly as possible.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 39293, when he plans to publish guidance relating to communities and onshore wind; when Solar Energy UK plans to publish its guidance; and whether the guidance will be binding.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We will publish updated community benefits guidance for onshore wind in England in spring 2025, to clearly set out our expectations on what effective community benefits for communities that host new onshore wind projects should look like.
Solar Energy UK plans to publish its community benefits guidance for solar PV later this year. It will apply on a voluntary basis and provide a benchmark for the solar energy sector.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has held discussions with the EU Commission on the potential establishment of a new forum to enable joint UK-EU decision making on the development of (a) a pan-European rearmament bank and (b) similar institution aimed at enabling financing for (i) the ReArm Europe programme and (ii) other defence programmes.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We need to work together to bolster the European defence industrial base, making sure that it can compete globally and deliver for our security and defence needs as well as contribute to growth and jobs. Officials and Ministers will continue to engage EU counterparts as we reset relations and explore opportunities for UK-EU defence and security cooperation.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the EU Commission on the potential role of the UK in supporting the development of a (a) pan-European rearmament bank and (b) similar institution aimed at enabling financing for (i) the ReArm Europe programme and (ii) other defence programmes.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We need to work together to bolster the European defence industrial base, making sure that it can compete globally and deliver for our security and defence needs as well as contribute to growth and jobs. Officials and Ministers will continue to engage EU counterparts as we reset relations and explore opportunities for UK-EU defence and security cooperation.