(Isle of Wight) (Con):...I
completely agree, and the right hon. Gentleman is completely
right. I am going to carry on for no more than a minute or 90
seconds, Mr Deputy Speaker. One of the most frightening things
that I have read about our society was in the Intelligence and
Security Committee report. In that, the head of the National Crime
Agency said that it has to think carefully about
which cases it can take on, because it is so costly and risky to
take on some of the most powerful and, frankly, wretched people,
who are lawyered up with these amoral lawyers who seemingly do
not care. They have no moral concept of what they are doing but
are happy to take the vast sums that these people are willing to
pay to scupper the legal processes in this country, prevent the
people’s will from being done via Government and prevent justice
from being done. There are beginning to be elements of state
capture, in extreme cases, in some of the things that are
happening...
(Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
(Lab):...Secondly, there are 12 different agencies currently
tasked with taking on economic crime, and the Government, in
their negligence, have not yet appointed a lead authority. Surely
that now has to change. The National Crime
Agency was bewildered to hear that a kleptocracy
cell was being set up, as were the people in the National
Economic Crime Centre. We have to do away with this nonsense and
create a single lead agency that brings to this House a
CONTEST-style strategy for taking on economic crime in which we
prepare, protect and prevent, and pursue economic criminals to
the ends of the earth.
Thirdly, there are Government reports that now need to see the
light of day, starting with the Home Office’s review of the
golden visa scheme. The Home Secretary has said that her ambition
is for it to published. Why on earth has it not been published
this week? We need to know where the weaknesses are, so let us
get the facts on the table.
Fourthly, we need to resource the fight against economic crime
far more seriously. Lynne Owens, the former director general of
the National Crime
Agency is on the record as saying that its budget
needs to double. When we consider the £100 billion-plus in
economic damage to our country, surely doubling the
National Crime Agency’s budget is a very small
ask of the Treasury. While we are at it, we need to introduce
cost capping orders in relation to unexplained wealth orders, as
the hon. Member for Isle of Wight () said, so that the costs of
prosecution are that much smaller...
The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General ():...I was asked about Crown
dependencies and overseas territories. I understand that
designations made under the regulations will apply automatically
in the Crown dependencies. There may be a small lag in terms of
the overseas territories, but I am happy to write to Members
about that. We will check that position, but we are speaking as
one, as are so many allies around the world. The Government agree
that more enforcement resource is necessary. One or two
colleagues mentioned that from the Labour Front Bench, and the
point is accepted. That is why the Prime Minister announced a
new National Crime
Agency kleptocracy cell, targeting sanctions
evasion. We are also introducing the Economic Crime (Transparency
and Enforcement) Bill today to reform unexplained wealth orders,
removing key barriers to their use by the NCA...
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