Asked by Lord McNally To ask Her Majesty’s Government what
plans they have to update their anti-corruption strategy. Lord
Young of Cookham (Con) My Lords, the Government are working
on a new anti-corruption strategy, which will be published in due
course. They continue to take forward a wide range of
anti-corruption measures, including...Request free trial
Asked by
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To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to
update their anti-corruption strategy.
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(Con)
My Lords, the Government are working on a new
anti-corruption strategy, which will be published in due
course. They continue to take forward a wide range of
anti-corruption measures, including those agreed at the
London anti-corruption summit.
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(LD)
My Lords, it is over a year since the anti-corruption
summit which promised that new strategy. Is the Minister
aware that there are voices around which suggest that
Brexit is an opportunity for Britain to hoist the Jolly
Roger and buccaneer its way around the world with scant
regard to things like bribery or money laundering? Is it
not time that the Government sent out a clear message that
we are a beacon of integrity in these matters by bringing
this strategy forward, giving a vote of confidence in the
Serious Fraud Office and finding a new anti-corruption
champion to succeed the one who has now departed the other
place? Those challenges would make us a beacon of
integrity, rather than the other way.
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The noble Lord asked a number of questions. First, he is
quite right: the deadline has been missed. We hoped to
publish the updated strategy by December last year. There
was some turbulence in Whitehall following the outcome of
the referendum and then, in March, when the
inter-ministerial group met to consider the draft strategy,
there was a further discontinuity with the general
election. However, a near-final draft of the document is
being prepared and we hope to publish it shortly. There has
been a series of anti-corruption champions: , and Ken Clarke.
was the last but since
the election Sir Eric is no longer a Member of Parliament.
We hope to appoint a new champion in due course.
On the noble Lord’s second point about the Jolly Roger, I
prefer the union jack. However, he is quite right: this
country has a reputation for integrity and fairness
throughout the world. That helps us win export orders and
inward investment. The noble Lord may know that in a recent
analysis of integrity, the UK was ranked joint 10th out of
176 on the Transparency International corruption
perceptions index. He is quite right: we value our
reputation and are determined to maintain and enhance it
after Brexit.
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Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate (Con)
My Lords, the Government have previously indicated to the
House that they were attempting to meet a target by the end
of June this year to have central registers of beneficial
ownership opened in the Crown dependencies and the overseas
territories. I believe it is now July. Therefore, I would
be very grateful if my noble friend updated us on the
current position.
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I am grateful to my noble friend. It is indeed now July,
and I am happy to tell him that good progress has been made
with the overseas territories and the Crown dependencies.
Most of the larger territories already had these central
registers in place. I think that only two, or possibly
three, have not met the deadline, and they are making good
progress. Therefore, significant information is now
available, almost real time, in this country for law
enforcement and HMRC because of the central registers of
beneficial ownership that the overseas territories and the
Crown dependencies have now introduced following last
year’s London summit.
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(Lab)
Will the Government review their own actions bearing in
mind that they have just given a £1 billion bung to the
DUP? Does the Minister think he should put his own house in
order first?
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I understand that in another place, MP suggested that he
might put in the public domain correspondence between
and the DUP
following the 2010 election. I also remember the 1974 to
1979 Parliament, when the Callaghan Government limped from
Division to Division, putting together a series of deals
with individual parties and individual Members which
involved significant expenditure of public money. The noble
Lord may wonder where this train of argument may lead him.
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(Con)
My Lords, during the passage of the Criminal Finances Bill, a
great deal of concern was expressed around the House about
the number of properties, particularly in central London,
being acquired by anonymous foreign owners, often using
corrupt proceeds of crime. Can the Minister update the House
on what is happening with unexplained wealth orders and,
indeed, with the proposed register of foreign owners of
property here in London? It is time we kept the momentum
going on this.
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I am grateful to my noble friend, who played a significant
role when the then Criminal Finances Bill was going through
the House in ensuring that we had the unexplained wealth
orders in the right shape. That legislation hit the statute
book on 27 April. We are now preparing statutory guidance,
subject to the affirmative procedure order, and introducing
new court rules and training for officials so that we get the
orders in good shape before they are introduced. We remain
committed to a register of beneficial ownership of foreign
companies that own or acquire property in this country. Good
progress is being made. BEIS submitted a consultation
document earlier this year, and it is now analysing the
responses. I say to my noble friend that we are determined to
honour the commitment to introduce such a register.
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(CB)
My Lords, the Minister will know that four senior executives
from Barclays Bank are facing criminal prosecution for
wrongdoing that took place in the financial crisis of 2008,
and that this is the first such prosecution. The director of
the Serious Fraud Office, whom I hope the Minister will
confirm will remain in his place, has repeatedly called for
reform of UK law on criminal corporate liability to make it
easier to prosecute private companies involved in wrongdoing.
Could the Minister tell the House when the Government intend
to reform the UK’s very weak laws on corporate liability, so
that companies can be held to account for actions that
facilitate money laundering of the proceeds of corruption?
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I cannot give a substantive reply to the noble Baroness, but
I would like to write to her. I think I am right in saying
that recently, companies have been prosecuted. For example, I
think that Rolls-Royce as a company entered into a deferred
prosecution agreement and, as a result, paid a penalty of
over half a billion pounds—and that was for the company. I am
cautious about saying anything more, because I understand
that individuals are also under investigation by the SFO. I
am afraid that I cannot comment on the question she raised
about the personnel at the SFO, but I will make inquiries and
write to her.
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