Phil Brickell MP: written questions
195 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Companies: Crown DependenciesHome OfficeTabled 20 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25023More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure Crown Dependencies introduce public registers of beneficial ownership.
Answer: Tackling illicit finance in the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories, as well as the UK, is a priority for the UK Government. Publicly accessible beneficial ownership registers are a critical tool for tackling illicit finance. Access to accurate in...
Answered 28 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordCayman Islands: OwnershipForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 20 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25022More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of (a) the adequacy of the Cayman Islands’ new Regulations: Beneficial Ownership Transparency (legitimate interest access) regulations 2024, (b)
Answer: At the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) in November, I confirmed the UK Government's expectation that Overseas Territories implement fully public registers of beneficial ownership. Fully public registers have already been introduced in Montserrat and Gibra...
Answered 30 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordBritish Overseas Territories: CompaniesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 20 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25021More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has set out expected levels of transparency in line with international standards in the EU’s 6th Anti-Money Laundering Directive for legitimate interes
Answer: At the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) in November, I confirmed the UK Government's expectation that Overseas Territories implement fully public registers of beneficial ownership. Fully public registers have already been introduced in Montserrat and Gibra...
Answered 30 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: Non-paymentMinistry of JusticeTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23551More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department holds a demographic breakdown of people (a) sent to prison and (b) given suspended committal orders for non-payment of council tax in each year between 2019 and 2024.
Answer: Non-payment of council tax is not a criminal offence and cannot attract a custodial sentence. However, under the committal to prison process, a court order can provide for someone to be jailed for failing to pay a debt.Committal to prison can only ever be...
Answered 16 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordCouncil Tax: Non-paymentMinistry of JusticeTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23550More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have (a) been committed to prison and (b) been given suspended committal orders for non-payment of council tax in each year since 2019.
Answer: Non-payment of council tax is not a criminal offence and cannot attract a custodial sentence. However, under the committal to prison process, a court order can provide for someone to be jailed for failing to pay a debt.Committal to prison can only ever be...
Answered 16 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordFlood Control: Bolton WestDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 8 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22790More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of levels of flood preparedness in communities along the (a) Middle Brook, (b) Bessy Brook and (c) Douglas rivers in Bolton West constituency.
Answer: Flood Alerts and Flood Warnings are issued by the Environment Agency (EA) to warn residents that flood is possible, and then expected, to ensure that communities are prepared take action to reduce impacts to homes and properties. 315 properties are regist...
Answered 16 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordFraud: CoronavirusTreasuryTabled 8 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22789More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much HM Revenue and Customs staff time and resource was dedicated to recovering funds from covid-19 (a) business relief and (b) procurement-related fraud in the latest period for which data is available.
Answer: HMRC remain committed to COVID-19 scheme compliance activity and will continue to prioritise and pursue the most serious cases of abuse. Part (a):The main COVID-19 business support schemes that were administered by HMRC were the Coronavirus Job Retention ...
Answered 17 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordBangladesh: AssetsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 8 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22788More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to assist the Central Bank of Bangladesh in repatriating UK-based assets diverted illegally from that country.
Answer: 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. We would not comment on...
Answered 15 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordMultiple Occupation: Bolton WestMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 8 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22787More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many Houses in Multiple Occupation have been developed without requiring planning permission in Bolton West constituency in the last 12 months.
Answer: National permitted development rights allow a C3 dwellinghouse to change use to a C4 House in Multiple Occupation for up to six people sharing facilities without the need for a planning application. Larger Houses in Multiple Occupation require a planning ...
Answered 17 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordMultiple Occupation: Planning PermissionMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 8 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 22786More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of planning permission requirements for Houses in Multiple Occupation.
Answer: National permitted development rights allow a C3 dwellinghouse to change use to a C4 House in Multiple Occupation for up to six people sharing facilities without the need for a planning application. Larger Houses in Multiple Occupation require a planning ...
Answered 17 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordSyria: Development AidForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 17 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20819More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to use UK-based assets that were expropriated by the Assad regime for (a) aid and (b) re-development projects to help the Syrian people.
Answer: UK-based assets expropriated by the Assad regime remain frozen. As with all our sanctions, we keep our approach under review.We do not comment on future designations as to do so lessens their potential impact.
Answered 6 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordEconomic Crime: Crown DependenciesHome OfficeTabled 17 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20818More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to ensure UK law enforcement authorities use criminal measures against professional enablers of economic crime who have exploited Crown Dependencies.
Answer: Professional enablers are a critical facilitator of serious and organised crime.As part of the Economic Crime Plan 2, the National Economic Crime Centre launched a cross-system strategy to tackle the threat posed by professional enablers to the UK earlier...
Answered 30 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordMoney Laundering: Crown DependenciesHome OfficeTabled 16 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20556More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Crown Dependencies are not used to launder the proceeds of corruption.
Answer: The Crown Dependencies are separate, self-governing jurisdictions responsible for their own domestic affairs, including financial services regulation. The Ministry of Justice is responsible for managing the UK’s constitutional relationship with the Crown ...
Answered 23 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordCompany Accounts: FinesDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 12 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19931More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much the late filing penalties from companies failing to file their annual accounts within the deadline were in each financial year between 2018-19 and 2023-24.
Answer: Official statistics on the value of collected late filing penalties are published in the annual report of Companies House. We have excerpted and reproduced the relevant figures for companies failing to file their annual accounts within the deadline below:...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordNational Crime Agency: StaffHome OfficeTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19121More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what headcount cap has she set for the National Crime Agency for financial year (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26.
Answer: The Home Secretary has not set headcount caps for the National Crime Agency.
Answered 17 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordBritish Council: FinanceForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 3 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 17658More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure the financial stability of the British Council.
Answer: This Government is committed to a successful British Council that is financially stable. Our funding to the British Council underlines our support. The FCDO will provide the British Council with £162.5 million Grant-in-Aid in 2024/25. Funding for 2025/26 ...
Answered 17 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordHong Kong: Human RightsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14702More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the meeting between the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Indo-Pacific and Hong Kong’s Convenor of the E
Answer: I met Regina Ip on 31 October. Human rights were raised as part of the discussion. The UK will continue to speak often and candidly with Hong Kong authorities across both areas of contention as well as areas for cooperation. Engagement with representative...
Answered 26 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordDeposit Return SchemesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 11 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13535More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on implementing a deposit return scheme.
Answer: This Government is committed to delivering the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers in October 2027, as agreed with the devolved Governments of the UK, and in accordance with the Joint Policy Statement published in April 2024. We plan to lay ...
Answered 14 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordBritish Overseas Territories: CompaniesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 6 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13153More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2024 to Question 8363, what minimum requirements his Department set out as being an expectation in any legitimate interest access regime
Answer: Tackling illicit finance in the UK, as well as in our Overseas Territories (OTs) and Crown Dependencies (CDs) is a priority for this Government. We consider publicly accessible registers of beneficial ownership (PARBOs) a vital tool for combatting financi...
Answered 14 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordNational Security: Risk AssessmentCabinet OfficeTabled 6 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13112More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his Department plans to publish the 2025 edition of the National Risk Register; and whether she plans to enable Parliament to (a) feed into and (b) scrutinise that register.
Answer: The UK is facing an ever-changing and growing set of risks. All risks in the National Risk Register, which is the public-facing version of the internal, classified National Security Risk Assessment, are kept under review to ensure that they are the most a...
Answered 11 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordElectronic Commerce: Money LaunderingTreasuryTabled 6 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13110More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the number of (a) Suspicious Activity Reports and (b) Defence Against Money Laundering Suspicious Activity Reports from electronic pay
Answer: HM Treasury’s Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 place requirements onto electronic payment providers to establish policies, controls and procedures to mitigate the risks of money launde...
Answered 14 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordFinancial Services: InternetTreasuryTabled 6 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13108More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many electronic money institutions have (a) had their activities restricted and (b) been de-authorised following an investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Answer: This question is a matter for Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) which is an independent, non-governmental body. The FCA will respond to the Honourable Member by letter and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of the House of Commons.
Answered 14 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordDisclosure of InformationDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 6 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13094More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will expand the list of prescribed people for whistleblowing to include (a) job applicants, (b) trustees, (c) independent contractors and (d) trade union representatives.
Answer: The whistleblowing framework enables workers to seek redress if they are dismissed or suffer detriment because they have made a ‘protected disclosure’. The standard employment law definition of worker has been extended to provide whistleblowing protection...
Answered 14 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordDisclosure of Information: ReviewsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 6 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13093More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what his planned timetable is for the review of the whistleblowing framework.
Answer: The Employment Rights Bill delivers on the government's commitment to strengthening protections for whistleblowers, by updating protections for women who report sexual harassment at work. The Government is keen to work with organisations and individuals w...
Answered 14 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordSerious Fraud Office: Disclosure of InformationAttorney GeneralTabled 6 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13091More
Question: To ask the Solicitor General, what progress she has made on plans to create a whistleblowing incentive program within the Serious Fraud Office.
Answer: This Government is committed to cracking down on serious fraud and economic crime.The Director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has expressed support for the incentivisation of whistleblowers and the SFO Strategy 2024-29 committed to explore options for ...
Answered 15 Nov 2024
Original Parliament record
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