Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimates his Department has made of the amount that would be raised from hedge funds, or similar financial institutions, by closing tax loopholes arising from the use of mixed membership partnerships.
Answered by David Gauke
As part of the partnerships review legislation was introduced in Finance Act 2014 to prevent tax-motivated allocations of business profits in partnerships where the partners include both individuals and companies (mixed membership partnerships).
During consultation, it became apparent that the use of mixed membership partnerships by hedge funds to avoid tax was widespread. As a result, the yield scored for the measure was increased by £1.92 bn over the scorecard period. All of this additional yield relates to the hedge fund sector.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the savings from legal aid reform and legal aid transformation in 2014-15.
Answered by Priti Patel
The Impact Assessment published at the time of Royal Assent of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 estimated that the savings associated with the Legal Aid Reforms would be £320m in 2014/15 and £360m in 2015/16. The Impact Assessment for Legal Aid Transformation showed steady state savings estimates, rather than how savings built up each year over time. Savings are expected to reach £215M per year by 2018-19.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Kuwaiti nationals have been referred to HM Treasury's sanctions list in each of the last five years for which records are available.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are currently ten individuals on the Treasury’s consolidated list of financial sanctions targets who are recorded as being Kuwaiti nationals. Of these, nine are individuals designated under the UN Al Qaida regime and one under the Terrorism and Terrorist Financing regime. Four of these Kuwaiti nationals were added to the list in 2014. The remaining six were all designated prior to 2010. No Kuwaiti nationals have been removed from the list during the last five years.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many members of staff at HM Revenue and Customs are responsbile for determining whether UK company formation agents are fit and proper persons.
Answered by Priti Patel
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is responsible for supervising the activities of some 2,600 businesses in the trust and company service providers sector under the Money Laundering Regulations, some of which undertake company formation activity on behalf of clients. Company formation is also carried out directly by Companies House, as well as by others such as lawyers and accountants that are not supervised by HMRC for the purposes of the Money Laundering Regulations.
The staff employed in supervisory, intelligence and prosecutory functions are contained within a variety of lines of business in HMRC. As such the number of staff and budget dedicated specifically to company formation agents is variable and cannot be identified.
There is a range of scenarios in which HMRC actions might result in a company formation agency stopping such activity, hence the information requested is not readily available.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many company formation agencies have been shut down by HM Revenue and Customs for involvement in money laundering in the last (a) 12 months, (b) five years and (c) 10 years.
Answered by Priti Patel
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is responsible for supervising the activities of some 2,600 businesses in the trust and company service providers sector under the Money Laundering Regulations, some of which undertake company formation activity on behalf of clients. Company formation is also carried out directly by Companies House, as well as by others such as lawyers and accountants that are not supervised by HMRC for the purposes of the Money Laundering Regulations.
The staff employed in supervisory, intelligence and prosecutory functions are contained within a variety of lines of business in HMRC. As such the number of staff and budget dedicated specifically to company formation agents is variable and cannot be identified.
There is a range of scenarios in which HMRC actions might result in a company formation agency stopping such activity, hence the information requested is not readily available.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what budget has been allocated for staff of HM Revenue and Customs dealing with the regulation of company formation agents.
Answered by Priti Patel
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is responsible for supervising the activities of some 2,600 businesses in the trust and company service providers sector under the Money Laundering Regulations, some of which undertake company formation activity on behalf of clients. Company formation is also carried out directly by Companies House, as well as by others such as lawyers and accountants that are not supervised by HMRC for the purposes of the Money Laundering Regulations.
The staff employed in supervisory, intelligence and prosecutory functions are contained within a variety of lines of business in HMRC. As such the number of staff and budget dedicated specifically to company formation agents is variable and cannot be identified.
There is a range of scenarios in which HMRC actions might result in a company formation agency stopping such activity, hence the information requested is not readily available.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many members of staff at HM Revenue and Customs are involved in regulating and analysing company formation agencies in the UK.
Answered by Priti Patel
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is responsible for supervising the activities of some 2,600 businesses in the trust and company service providers sector under the Money Laundering Regulations, some of which undertake company formation activity on behalf of clients. Company formation is also carried out directly by Companies House, as well as by others such as lawyers and accountants that are not supervised by HMRC for the purposes of the Money Laundering Regulations.
The staff employed in supervisory, intelligence and prosecutory functions are contained within a variety of lines of business in HMRC. As such the number of staff and budget dedicated specifically to company formation agents is variable and cannot be identified.
There is a range of scenarios in which HMRC actions might result in a company formation agency stopping such activity, hence the information requested is not readily available.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether (a) Abd al-Malik Abd al-Salam, (b) Ashraf Abd al-Salam, (c) Salim Hasen Khalifa Al Kawani, (d) Abdelrahman Imer al Jaber Al Nameh, (e) Ibrahim al-Bakr, (f) Abdullah Ghalib Mahfuz Muslim Al-Khawar and (g) al-Subaiy are subject to UK sanctions.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are three financial sanctions regimes related to the financing of terrorism in operation in the UK: the UN Al Qaida regime (implemented by EU Regulation 881/2002), the EU’s CP 931 regime, primarily for terrorists external to the EU; and the UK’s domestic regime under the Terrorist Asset Freezing etc. Act 2010. The Treasury publishes a consolidated list of financial sanctions targets that can be accessed from the Gov.uk website, listing all individuals and entities currently subject to financial sanctions in operation in the UK.
Abdelrahman Imer al Jaber AL NAIMEH was listed under the UN Al Qaida Sanctions Regime on 23 September 2014.
Khalifa Muhammad Turki AL-SUBAIY was listed under the UN Al Qaida Sanctions Regime on 10 October 2008.
Abd al-Malik Abd AL-SALAM, Ashraf Abd AL-SALAM, Salim Hasen Khalifa AL KAWANI, Ibrahim AL-BAKR, Abdullah Ghalib Mahfuz Muslim AL-KHAWAR are not currently subject to any of the financial sanctions regimes that are in operation in the UK.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the statement by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, reported in The Sunday Times on 31 August 2014, what provision will be made in the Autumn Statement 2014 to double the funding for tackling mobile blackspots; and what criteria will be used to decide which locations will benefit from that funding.
Answered by Danny Alexander
The Government is taking action to improve mobile coverage across the UK. For example, the Mobile Infrastructure Project, first announced in October 2011, provides £150m for the building of additional mobile phone masts to provide coverage in areas which are poorly served.
The Chancellor has announced that Autumn Statement this year will be on 3 December. Full details of Autumn Statement announcements will be announced at that time.