Tag: Jonathan Ashworth

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he plans the International Anti-Corruption Summit will take to tackle tax avoidance and the role played by offshore tax havens in such avoidance.

Matthew Hancock

This Government will continue to lead the international agenda to crack down on tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance. The Summit will address a range of measures to tackle corruption, including promoting transparency.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a list of people who attended the Anti-Corruption Summit on 12 May 2016.

Matthew Hancock

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 9 May 2016 to Question 36373, which overseas territories and Crown dependencies declined the invitation to attend the Anti-Corruption Summit on 12 May 2016.

Matthew Hancock

None.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-06-14.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what processes are in place for strengthening partnerships between law enforcement agencies in the UK and elsewhere in order to tackle international corruption.

Matthew Hancock

UK law enforcement agencies​ already have strong collaborative partnerships with many overseas authorities which are valuable in supporting and developing their investigations into international corruption. The London Anti-Corruption Summit in May galvanised further efforts to improve international cooperation.

At the Summit, the PM announced that the UK will host a new International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre (IACCC) to help law enforcement investigators work together effectively across multiple jurisdictions, ending the impunity often associated with grand corruption. We are working with international partners towards making the IACCC operational by April 2017.

The UK also committed to supporting the creation of a Centre of Excellence for Financial Intelligence Units to support the sharing of information with other countries. This will help to improve the effectiveness of the international response to international money-laundering. We are also working with other countries to establish a Global Forum for Asset Recovery.

Initiatives to enhance transparency over beneficial ownership information will also support international law enforcement cooperation in tackling international corruption. This includes the initiative on the automatic exchange of beneficial ownership information between jurisdictions, as well as the UK’s new public register of persons of significant control, (which goes live this month) and the agreements reached with relevant Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies to grant UK law enforcement access to beneficial ownership information there.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-07-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which Minister in his Department has responsibility for tacking corruption.

Margot James

I am the Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility and I lead on competition law. I have a particular focus on ensuring that companies including directors, shareholders and employees achieve high standards of corporate behaviour to ensure that the public has trust in business and recognises their value to society.

I have specific responsibility for the UK’s register of People with Significant Control. I lead on the Department’s interests in transposing the Fourth Anti Money Laundering Directive. I am also the lead Minister for the Department on taking forward the UK’s commitments agreed at the May anticorruption summit in London.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2015-12-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on how many occasions a special adviser in his Department accompanied a Minister on an overseas trip since May 2015.

Mr Robert Goodwill

A Special Adviser has accompanied the Secretary of State only once on an overseas trip since May 2015. The practice of Special Advisers accompanying the Secretary of State on overseas visits where there is a business need is long-established and has operated as such under various administrations including the previous Labour administration.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2015-12-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on how many occasions a special adviser in his Department accompanied a Minister on an overseas trip since May 2015.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

It is usual practice for a Special Adviser to accompany the Foreign Secretary on overseas visits.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Prime Minister, what special advisers have (a) successfully and (b) unsuccessfully sought his permission to work on a EU referendum campaign.

Mr David Cameron

The arrangements for special advisers who wish to work for a campaign are set out in the Cabinet Secretary’s letter of 23 February. It is not appropriate to publish personal data about individual special advisers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department has paid to staff in overtime in each of the last 24 months.

Matthew Hancock

As part of this Government’s transparency agenda, all Departments are required to publish monthly workforce statistics that includes overtime costs. This information is available from the Cabinet Office website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/payroll-costs-and-non-consolidated-pay-data

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many consultants’ contracts were terminated early in each of the last six years for which figures are available; and what the cost of each such termination was in each of those years.

Mr Edward Vaizey

DCMS has not terminated early any fixed fee consultancy contracts, where a cost might have been incurred, in the said time frame.