Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) land and (b) property assets are held through UK trusts registered with the Trust Registration Services; and what the aggregate value is of (i) land and (ii) property assets held via trusts.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
I can only provide a partial answer to these questions, as the information held on the Trust Registration Service in relation to land and property holdings varies depending on the category of registration. Additionally, the Trust Registration Service does not record information on indirect holdings of land by trustees.
From May 2021 (when the Trust Registration Service was expanded to accept registrations from non-taxable trusts) to 5 April 2024 (the end of the last tax year), c.56,000 trusts notified the Trust Registration Service that the trustees have acquired a direct interest in UK land or property on or after 6 October 2020. Of this figure, c.55,000 are UK resident trusts (including trusts categorised as ‘Type A') and c.1000 are non-UK resident trusts (including trusts categorised as ‘Type B’ or ‘Type C’).
Taxable trusts, including those registered before May 2021, are required to provide a statement of assets held at the time of registration, including UK land or property. However, analysing this information to arrive at a total number and value of land and property assets held by these trusts would carry a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many trusts registered with the Trusts Registration Service hold UK land or property via a type (a) A, (b) B and (c) C trust.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
I can only provide a partial answer to these questions, as the information held on the Trust Registration Service in relation to land and property holdings varies depending on the category of registration. Additionally, the Trust Registration Service does not record information on indirect holdings of land by trustees.
From May 2021 (when the Trust Registration Service was expanded to accept registrations from non-taxable trusts) to 5 April 2024 (the end of the last tax year), c.56,000 trusts notified the Trust Registration Service that the trustees have acquired a direct interest in UK land or property on or after 6 October 2020. Of this figure, c.55,000 are UK resident trusts (including trusts categorised as ‘Type A') and c.1000 are non-UK resident trusts (including trusts categorised as ‘Type B’ or ‘Type C’).
Taxable trusts, including those registered before May 2021, are required to provide a statement of assets held at the time of registration, including UK land or property. However, analysing this information to arrive at a total number and value of land and property assets held by these trusts would carry a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many of the trusts registered with the Trusts Registration Service hold UK land or property.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
I can only provide a partial answer to these questions, as the information held on the Trust Registration Service in relation to land and property holdings varies depending on the category of registration. Additionally, the Trust Registration Service does not record information on indirect holdings of land by trustees.
From May 2021 (when the Trust Registration Service was expanded to accept registrations from non-taxable trusts) to 5 April 2024 (the end of the last tax year), c.56,000 trusts notified the Trust Registration Service that the trustees have acquired a direct interest in UK land or property on or after 6 October 2020. Of this figure, c.55,000 are UK resident trusts (including trusts categorised as ‘Type A') and c.1000 are non-UK resident trusts (including trusts categorised as ‘Type B’ or ‘Type C’).
Taxable trusts, including those registered before May 2021, are required to provide a statement of assets held at the time of registration, including UK land or property. However, analysing this information to arrive at a total number and value of land and property assets held by these trusts would carry a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the agenda for the meeting with Crown Dependencies on 3 March 2025.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
We publish all Ministerial meetings in our quarterly transparency returns.
We do not routinely publish the agenda or minutes of such meetings. publish the agenda or minutes of such meetings.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Register of Overseas Entities (Protection and Trusts) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, whether applicants who obtain trust information through this regulation will be allowed to publish this information where it is in the public interest.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under these regulations the presumption is that trust data on the Register of Overseas Entities will normally be disclosed when requested. Most applications will not require the applicant to demonstrate any legitimate interest. Legitimate interest applies where trust data involves a minor or multiple entities. In such cases, applicants must demonstrate their request relates to the investigation of possible money laundering, tax evasion, terrorist financing or sanctions breaches, make a statement it is to further their investigation and explain the information's intended use.
A legitimate interest must be shown for each new application.
The registrar will consider any appropriate restrictions on the use and further disclosure of trust information before disclosing this information to a successful applicant. The applicant may publish this information unless the registrar has imposed a restriction on its further disclosure.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Register of Overseas Entities (Protection and Trusts) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, whether applicants will need to demonstrate legitimate interest for each application where relevant or whether legitimate interest will be presumed once demonstrated.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under these regulations the presumption is that trust data on the Register of Overseas Entities will normally be disclosed when requested. Most applications will not require the applicant to demonstrate any legitimate interest. Legitimate interest applies where trust data involves a minor or multiple entities. In such cases, applicants must demonstrate their request relates to the investigation of possible money laundering, tax evasion, terrorist financing or sanctions breaches, make a statement it is to further their investigation and explain the information's intended use.
A legitimate interest must be shown for each new application.
The registrar will consider any appropriate restrictions on the use and further disclosure of trust information before disclosing this information to a successful applicant. The applicant may publish this information unless the registrar has imposed a restriction on its further disclosure.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to The Register of Overseas Entities (Protection and Trusts) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, when applicants are required to demonstrate a legitimate interest; how this differs from information required on application under Regulation 4(1).
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under these regulations the presumption is that trust data on the Register of Overseas Entities will normally be disclosed when requested. Most applications will not require the applicant to demonstrate any legitimate interest. Legitimate interest applies where trust data involves a minor or multiple entities. In such cases, applicants must demonstrate their request relates to the investigation of possible money laundering, tax evasion, terrorist financing or sanctions breaches, make a statement it is to further their investigation and explain the information's intended use.
A legitimate interest must be shown for each new application.
The registrar will consider any appropriate restrictions on the use and further disclosure of trust information before disclosing this information to a successful applicant. The applicant may publish this information unless the registrar has imposed a restriction on its further disclosure.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to HMRC's document entitled Measuring tax gaps 2024 edition: tax gap estimates for 2022 to 2023, updated on 20 June 2024, if she will take steps to widen the scope of the published offshore tax gap statistics.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is assessing the feasibility of extending the published estimate of the tax gap arising from undisclosed foreign income, including engaging with academics.
HMRC is determined to address offshore tax non-compliance. At Autumn Budget 2024, the government published a supplementary document outlining HMRC’s approach to addressing offshore tax non-compliance, as part of the government’s wider efforts to close the tax gap: Tackling offshore tax non-compliance - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people work in the large business directorate in HMRC.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
As of 31 March 2024, HMRC’s Large Business Directorate had a total of 2422 full time equivalent staff working within the directorate which includes 169 Customer Compliance Managers.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many customer compliance managers there are in the HMRC large business directorate.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
As of 31 March 2024, HMRC’s Large Business Directorate had a total of 2422 full time equivalent staff working within the directorate which includes 169 Customer Compliance Managers.