Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Residual Waste Infrastructure Capacity Note will make an assessment of the adequacy of (a) incineration capacity and (b) potential feedstock availability in the light of (i) the statutory target to halve residual waste sent to either incineration or landfill per person by 2042, (ii) the non-combustible nature of some residual waste, and (iii) competing uses for the feedstock.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
The Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy. As part of this we will consider the role of Energy from Waste, including waste incineration, in the context of circularity, economic growth, and reaching net zero.
Defra’s analysis of municipal residual waste treatment infrastructure capacity, including exports, which we hope to publish shortly, sets out incineration capacity and municipal residual waste arisings in England, taking into account the implementation of the packaging reforms up to 2035. The analysis will also give consideration to the levels of residual waste in 2042, in context of the statutory residual waste target to effectively halve residual wastes. This analysis will support decision making relating to planning for new residual waste treatment infrastructure.
Regarding competing uses for the feedstock, the analysis considers all forms of treatment for municipal residual waste, including energy recovery, landfill and exports.
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 make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing ring-fenced funding for taking criminal enforcement measures against professional enablers of economic crimes.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)
Professional enablers are a critical facilitator of serious and organised crime, particularly in helping criminals and corrupt elites move and hide their illicit funds across the world, including in the UK.
The National Economic Crime Centre launched a cross-system strategy to tackle the serious and organised crime threat posed by professional enablers earlier this year. This sets out a series of actions for the public and private sectors to strengthen the UK’s response to professional enablers and includes commitments to enhance collective understanding, improve public-private data sharing, make better use of powers and intervention tools, and develop joint disruption strategies to tackle the threat.
Criminal justice interventions and regulatory interventions are essential to driving a response. Professional enabler cases are often longer and more protracted than other cases.
While we recognise the potential benefits of ring-fencing funding, we must ensure that our approach to funding remains sufficiently agile to tackle this increasingly complex threat. A critical component of this is the Economic Crime (Anti-Money Laundering) Levy, which provides sustainable, long-term funding to combat economic crime, helping law enforcement agencies pursue criminals and their enablers. This funding, paired with other targeted investment, enables the delivery of key outcomes to protect the UK’s national security whilst supporting economic growth.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the National Audit Office's report entitled Managing conflicts of interest: value for money, published on 22 November 2024, whether the Government plans to introduce central electronic registers for all public bodies.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
We are committed to restoring public confidence in government and ensuring that all those in public service are held to the highest standards.
We will consider carefully the National Audit Office’s recommendations in its recent report ‘Managing Conflicts of Interest’.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has provided the interim government in Bangladesh with support for the asset recovery of funds potentially misappropriated by the previous government.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to assisting investigative, prosecuting and judicial authorities in combating international crime. We have robust illicit finance legislation and instruments which can be used to support asset recovery requests. Requests require significant domestic political support, as well as cooperation from law enforcement agencies and the judiciary. We are in discussions with the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre hosted by the UK's National Crime Agency and the International Centre for Asset Recovery on how to support the Interim Government of Bangladesh. In October, the UK National Crime Agency visited Dhaka as part of the UK's effort to support Bangladesh in this area, as well as wider engagement on law enforcement issues. We will continue to support these recoveries to the extent that we can.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what her planned timetable is to respond to her Department’s consultation entitled Open Justice: the way forward which closed on 7 September 2023.
Answered by Heidi Alexander - Secretary of State for Transport
The Ministry of Justice ran a Call for Evidence from 11 May to 7 September 2023 under the previous Government. It was the first system-wide public assessment on open justice and transparency in over ten years. The consultation received a wide volume of responses that are being carefully analysed and I am considering next steps. I would like to express my thanks to all stakeholders who contributed their views, which will inform future policy developments and priorities in this essential area.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to publish a new terms of reference for the Independent Advisor on Ministerial Interests; and whether this will include the power to initiate investigations.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
I refer to the answer to UIN 5293.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to take steps to strengthen the rules on donations to political parties.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer my Hon Friend to my answer to Question UIN 7510 on 15 October 2024.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to publish a new Ministerial Code of Conduct; and whether it will include (a) an explicit commitment to the seven Principles of Public Life, (b) an ability for the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests to initiate investigations into breaches of the code without needing the consent of the Prime Minister and (c) new restrictions on former ministers taking up outside employment through a deed of undertaking.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Prime Minister intends to issue and publish an updated version of the Ministerial Code shortly, in which he will set out his expectations for the conduct of all who serve in Government as Ministers.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he intends to publish a deadline for the implementation public registers of beneficial ownership in the Overseas Territories per the requirements in the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundry Act.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Overseas Territories' (OTs) commitments to delivering publicly accessible registers of beneficial ownership were outlined in a Written Ministerial Statement of 18 December 2023. This month, as Minister for the OTs, I wrote to OT Governments to set out UK transparency expectations. I noted that full public accessibility remains our expectation. Access filtered to those with 'legitimate interest' should be delivered to a clear timetable, as an interim step. I also outlined a set of minimum requirements that the UK Government would expect to see in any 'legitimate interest' regime. At the UK-OT Illicit Finance Dialogue earlier this month, officials discussed OTs' progress towards their commitments and technical assistance to support implementation. I expect to continue discussions, including on ambitious deadlines for implementation, at the Joint Ministerial Council in November.
Asked by: Lloyd Hatton (Labour - South Dorset)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Government will raise the case of Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu with Azerbaijani officials during pre-COP 29 discussions to help secure his release from detention.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Since Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu's arrest in July 2023, the UK has consistently advocated for appropriate medical access and the right to a fair legal process, including ahead of COP29. The UK has also called on the Azerbaijani Government to protect the human rights and freedoms of all of its citizens, and we will continue to work to ensure Dr Ibadoghlu's rights are upheld.