Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the proportion of police staff involved with investigating (a) fraud and (b) other types of economic crime in 2023 and 2024.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
A new National Fraud Squad has been established, consisting of a total of c.500 specialist investigators across the NCA, City of London Police and Regional Organised Crime Units. The NFS had c.300 new and existing investigators in post in May 2023 when the Department’s 2023 Fraud Strategy launched. A further c.100 were in post by January 2024, followed by another c.100 this year. The NFS is transforming the law enforcement response by taking a proactive, intelligence-led approach to identifying and disrupting the most serious fraudsters, domestically and overseas, jointly with government and industry.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of unexplained wealth orders that have been (a) requested by and (b) granted to the National Crime Agency each year from 2020 to 2024.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
Between 2020 to 2024, the National Crime Agency (NCA) submitted two applications for unexplained wealth orders (UWOs) in 2023 with one being granted within the same year and the other being granted in 2024.
There are a number of variables which impact an operational decision to seek a UWO including: the ease with which evidence can be obtained from overseas; whether it would be proportionate to go to the High Court; and suitability of alternative investigatory powers.
The NCA has several other well-established powers under Part 8 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, which they may use to compel information regarding the ownership of asset during an investigation such as Production Orders and Disclosure Orders. The NCA continues to review whether cases are suitable for a UWO.
The Government committed to report on the number of UWOs applied for and obtained each year under the Economic Crime Transparency and Enforcement Act 2022.
The report covering the 2023-24 period can be found at: Unexplained wealth orders: 2023 to 2024 annual report - GOV.UK
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will publish its response to the Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Report from Part One of the Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences, “Disclosure in the Digital Age”, will be published shortly. The Government Response will be published in due course.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will take steps to publish a public private economic crime data strategy.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to delivering the Economic Crime Plan 2 commitment to publish a public-private Economic Crime Data Strategy. The Home Office has engaged extensively with stakeholders in the public and private sectors over the last 18 months to determine the vision and content of the strategy and intends to publish a strategy later this year.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he expects the end of (a) animal testing and (b) testing on beagles at MBR Acres.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government has made a commitment to the development of alternative methodologies to the use of animals in science. The plan we develop will maintain the UK’s place at the forefront of science development and innovation.
In the limited circumstances where there is no animal alternative and procedures are required to deliver important benefits to people, the environment, and other animals then we deliver robust, rigorous and trustworthy regulation of those procedures.
The Home Office assures that, in every research proposal: animals are replaced with non-animal alternatives wherever possible; that experiments are appropriate designed and analysed experiments that are robust, reproducible, and add to the knowledge base; and that we assure the methodologies use the latest technologies to minimise pain, suffering and distress and improve understanding of the impact of welfare on scientific outcomes.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which spending programmes their Department devolves for administration to (a) local government in England and (b) other local spending bodies; and what the budget is of each such programme for each year for which budgets are agreed.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The Government has set itself a mission that, by 2030, every part of England that wants one will have a devolution deal, with powers at or approaching the highest level of devolution, with a simplified, long-term funding settlement.
At Spring Budget, the government announced the trailblazer devolution deals with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and West Midlands Combined Authorities (WMCA), which included a commitment to introduce single funding settlements at the next Spending Review for these MCAs. At Autumn Statement, the Government published a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GMCA and WMCA, setting out how the single settlements will work.
The Government also announced an ambitious new ‘level 4’ of the devolution framework, including a single transport funding settlement for eligible institutions, and a ‘consolidated’ pot at the next multi-year SR covering two DLUHC investment themes – local growth and place, and housing and regeneration. Following successful delivery of the ‘consolidated’ pot, and learning from the trailblazers, Level 4 institutions will then become eligible to receive a single settlement from the subsequent multi-year Spending Review.
Details of major funding programmes, including those administered by local government or other local bodies, are available on gov.uk.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in which month she plans that the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme will go live.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat
We intend that the scheme will become operational in 2024. The work to deliver this, including establishing a Scheme Management Unit and supporting IT and developing relevant guidance is happening at pace. A public consultation on guidance for the scheme is currently live until 01 December on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/foreign-influence-registration-scheme-draft-guidance).
The Government expects to publicise the intended ‘go live’ date a number of months in advance to give those affected by the scheme time to prepare.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many criminal investigations into financial sanctions evasion have been initiated on the basis of Suspicious Activity Reports received by the Financial Intelligence Unit since February 2022.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat
Breaches of UK sanctions are reportable to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), not via the SARs regime, unless there are associated suspicions around money laundering.
For reasons of operational security, we are not able to provide further details publicly.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of proscribing the United Party of Russia under the Terrorism Act 2000.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat
Whilst the Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under review, we do not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not under consideration for proscription.
The UK and our allies condemn the Russian Government’s unprovoked and premeditated invasion of Ukraine. We have considerable powers to sanction the Russian Government, which we have used with our allies to significant effect. The Government has implemented the strongest set of economic sanctions ever to degrade Russia’s war.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will (a) list the spending programmes her Department devolves for administration to local government in England and other local spending bodies and (b) specify the value for each programme for every year for which budgets are agreed.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Home Office does not record the information sought to the level of granularity required.
Identifying individual spending programmes which are devolved to local government or other local spending bodies can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.