Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what reports he has received on the time taken for financial agents to register Trusts in accordance with the Fourth EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive; if he will instruct HM Revenue and Customs to extend the deadlines for completing submissions and registrations; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Responses to the consultation on transposing EU Fourth EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive into UK law generally supported the Government’s proposed approach to the new registration system.
Since its implementation, HMRC have supported users of the Trust Registration Service (TRS) through newsletters, webinars, guidance, a dedicated helpline and meetings with professional and tax representative bodies. HMRC have enabled registration where agents do not have all the data required by law but have made all reasonable efforts to find it, and have also extended the registration deadlines from 5 October 2017 and 31 January 2018 to 5 January 2018 and 5 March 2018, respectively.
The TRS will allow HMRC to collect, hold, retrieve and share information with Law Enforcement Authorities to help identify and disrupt suspicious activity involving the misuse of trusts for money laundering or terrorist financing.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which EU (a) Directives, (b) Regulations and (c) other legislation affecting his Department he is planning to propose (i) revocation and (ii) amendment of after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will retain EU law as it applies in the UK on exit day. We expect between 800 and 1000 statutory instruments will be required across Government to correct this retained EU law to ensure the statute book functions appropriately outside the EU. All Departments are engaged in this process.
As we leave the EU, the Government’s EU exit legislative programme is designed to cater for the full range of negotiated and non-negotiated outcomes. Once we leave the EU, we will make our own laws.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what processes his Department has put in place to (a) monitor, (b) collate cost information on, (c) review and (d) respond to requests to amend or revoke regulations introduced by his Department.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The changes to regulations affecting business during the 2010-15 Parliament are recorded in Statements of New Regulation that were published every six months. These are available on https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/one-in-two-out-statement-of-new-regulation .
For the 2015-17 Parliament, the Government will shortly publish its final report on the savings to business delivered during that Parliament.
For the current Parliament, the Government is committed to maintaining a proportionate approach to regulation to enable business growth while maintaining public protections. This will be monitored through the target that the Government is required to set under the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the title was of each set of regulations introduced by his Department in each month since May 2010; which of those regulations have been (a) subject to the (i) one in one out and (ii) one in two out procedure and (b) (i) revoked and (ii) amended; and what the net cost to (A) the public purse; and (B) business of those regulations is.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The changes to regulations affecting business during the 2010-15 Parliament are recorded in Statements of New Regulation that were published every six months. These are available on https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/one-in-two-out-statement-of-new-regulation .
For the 2015-17 Parliament, the Government will shortly publish its final report on the savings to business delivered during that Parliament.
For the current Parliament, the Government is committed to maintaining a proportionate approach to regulation to enable business growth while maintaining public protections. This will be monitored through the target that the Government is required to set under the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will add to the National Infrastructure Plan a scheme to upgrade and improve the A120 between Braintree and Marks Tey.
Answered by Danny Alexander
This Government recognises the importance of transport infrastructure to support the economy and, as set out in the National Infrastructure Plan 2013, has already announced over £28 billion of funding for enhancements and maintenance of national and local roads
The specific schemes identified in the National Infrastructure Plan 2013 have the ability to complete or begin their construction in the next Parliament. Proposals for improvements to the A120 between Braintree and Marks Tey are not yet sufficiently developed to be included in the Highways Agency pipeline of future projects, and are therefore not currently included in the National Infrastructure Plan.
However, the A120 is being looked at by the Highways Agency as part of its work on the East of England Route Strategy, which will look to determine the nature, need and timing of future investment that might be required. I would encourage you to engage with the Highways Agency's route strategy process.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the loss to the public purse as a result of illicit, illegal and smuggled tobacco in each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Morgan of Cotes
Estimates of the volume and total revenue losses associated with the tobacco illicit market are published in ‘Tobacco Tax Gap estimates: 2012-13'. The figures are available in tables 4.1 and 4.5.
These estimates cannot be disaggregated by the type of illicit activity, e.g. through smuggling, counterfeiting or other fraud.
The methodology for producing the estimates are provided in the ‘Methodological Annex for Measuring Tax Gaps 2013'.
Both documents can be accessed via the following page on the HMRC website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/measuring-tax-gaps
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the (a) number of cigarettes, (b) volume of roll-your own tobacco and (c) value of the (i) cigarettes and (ii) tobacco smuggled into the UK in each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Morgan of Cotes
Estimates of the volume and total revenue losses associated with the tobacco illicit market are published in ‘Tobacco Tax Gap estimates: 2012-13'. The figures are available in tables 4.1 and 4.5.
These estimates cannot be disaggregated by the type of illicit activity, e.g. through smuggling, counterfeiting or other fraud.
The methodology for producing the estimates are provided in the ‘Methodological Annex for Measuring Tax Gaps 2013'.
Both documents can be accessed via the following page on the HMRC website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/measuring-tax-gaps