Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if her Department will take steps to address the issue of funding for child protection interventions in humanitarian contexts at the World Humanitarian Summit in May 2016.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The World Humanitarian Summit presents a major opportunity to reflect on the international humanitarian system, including how it delivers for the most vulnerable, such as children. The UK recognises the critical importance of protecting children in times of crisis and expects this issue to be raised at the Summit, where the UK will be launching new commitments on funding and delivering education in emergencies.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate her Department has made of the amount of profits moved out of developing countries by UK-listed companies in each of the last five years.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The Department for International Development does not collect this data.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate her Department has made of the extent of tax evasion and tax avoidance in the global south.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
DFID has not made an estimate of the extent of tax evasion and avoidance in the global south due to a lack of reliable data.
The UK has been an international leader in efforts to tackle tax evasion and tax avoidance since the UK’s G8 Presidency in 2013. A key part of DFID’s work in this area is to ensure that developing countries can partake in and benefit from international initiatives to challenge tax avoidance and evasion.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the introduction of measures for country-by-country reporting of profits for UK-listed companies.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
DFID Ministers and officials have regular discussions with other Government Departments on a wide range of issues relating to international development, including tax.
The UK supports efforts to improve tax transparency. We initiated international work on country-by-country (CbC) reporting during our G8 Presidency in 2013, calling on the OECD to develop a framework for CbC reporting to tax authorities as part of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. This important initiative will enhance transparency between business and tax authorities, including those of developing countries.
The UK leads international efforts to help developing countries tackle tax evasion and avoidance. DFID funds the Global Forum and the World Bank to provide technical assistance to improve exchange of tax information in developing countries which will allow tax authorities to gain access to information such as country-by-country reports. We also support the OECD in helping developing countries tackle multinational practices such as transfer pricing and have provided HMRC tax auditors to Tax Inspectors Without Borders, which puts expert tax auditors in the field working on complex multinational audit cases.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on making tax information of UK-listed companies available to developing countries.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
DFID Ministers and officials have regular discussions with other Government Departments on a wide range of issues relating to international development, including tax.
The UK supports efforts to improve tax transparency. We initiated international work on country-by-country (CbC) reporting during our G8 Presidency in 2013, calling on the OECD to develop a framework for CbC reporting to tax authorities as part of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project. This important initiative will enhance transparency between business and tax authorities, including those of developing countries.
The UK leads international efforts to help developing countries tackle tax evasion and avoidance. DFID funds the Global Forum and the World Bank to provide technical assistance to improve exchange of tax information in developing countries which will allow tax authorities to gain access to information such as country-by-country reports. We also support the OECD in helping developing countries tackle multinational practices such as transfer pricing and have provided HMRC tax auditors to Tax Inspectors Without Borders, which puts expert tax auditors in the field working on complex multinational audit cases.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many UK-based consultancy firms receive funding from her Department.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
Detail on all DFID supplier funding is available via our departmental website.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether funding for UK-based consultancy firms is included in the UK's 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product overseas development assistance target.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
Consultancy funding for UK-based firms is included in the UK’s 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product overseas development assistance target.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many meetings she had with the Adam Smith Institute between 1 October 2012 and 31 March 2016.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
Meetings with DFID Ministers are published on a regular basis at: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/dfid-sos-gifts-travel-hospitality-meetings-may-july-2010
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the UK Anti-Corruption Summit being held in London in May 2016.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
In addition to regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues in relation to the Summit, DFID is represented in the Inter-Ministerial Group on Anti-Corruption. This Group is tasked with overseeing the government’s work to tackle corruption domestically and internationally, and specifically at this time the planning for the Summit and implementation of its conclusions.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what preparations her Department has made for the UK Anti-Corruption Summit to be held in London in May 2016.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
The UK is determined to make the Anti-Corruption Summit in May 2016 a success. This requires concerted action by a large number of interested parties. DFID is working closely with other Government Departments and a wide range of domestic and international partners, including civil society and business, to work together to deliver a successful summit.