Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what reports his Department has received on the alleged misappropriation of funds through the sale of passports to foreign investors by members of the St Lucian government; and whether he plans to make representations to his counterpart in St Lucia on this matter.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the risks associated with Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programmes as described in this question. They are a source of much needed development finance for several countries, but they can also pose challenges for both the host and third-party nations. As a result, the UK maintains ongoing dialogue with various stakeholders to address issues related to CBI and Ministers will seek to raise with their counterparts at events such as CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) and in dialogues in London.
Asked by: Mark Garnier (Conservative - Wyre Forest)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has given consular assistance to the (a) Director of Public Prosecutions or senior CPS officials and (b) Director of the Serious Fraud Office or senior SFO officials in support of any investigations being undertaken by those offices in the last 12 months.
Answered by Amanda Milling
The FCDO provides consular assistance to British Nationals overseas on a case by case basis. We keep and use information in line with the Data Protection Act 2018. We cooperate with other government departments and public authorities - including the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) - in relation to those cases where necessary and may release information to them in accordance with relevant exemptions. More information on consular assistance can be found in the publicly available document "Support for British Nationals Abroad - A Guide" (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-for-british-nationals-abroad-a-guide) and on how personal data is stored and processed in our consular privacy notice: (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-privacy-notice-consular-services-in-the-uk-and-at-british-embassies-high-commissions-and-consulates-overseas).