Every parliamentary written question tabled by Liam Byrne this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 141–160 of 235 · this parliament
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North of 14 March 2025, reference LB46879 on British Leadership in Multilateral Development Finance.
The Minister of State for International Development, Latin America and Caribbean issued a response to the hon. Member on 12 May 2025.
What information her Department holds on the proportion of police staff involved with investigating (a) fraud and (b) other types of economic crime in 2023 and 2024.
A new National Fraud Squad has been established, consisting of a total of c.500 specialist investigators across the NCA, City of London Police and Regional Organised Crime Units. The NFS had c.300 new and existing investigators in post in May 2023 when the Department’s 2023 Fraud Strategy launched. A further c.100 were in post by January 2024, followed by another c.100 this year. The NFS is transforming the law enforcement response by taking a proactive, intelligence-led approach to identifying and disrupting the most serious fraudsters, domestically and overseas, jointly with government and industry.
What information his Department holds on the number of (a) attempted and (b) successful public prosecutions under Section 7 of the Bribery Act 2010, broken down by (i) type or sub-type of offence and (ii) prosecuting organisation or agency.
As Solicitor General I superintend the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The SFO is the lead agency in England and Wales for investigating and prosecuting serious international fraud, bribery, and corruption cases. The CPS also prosecutes bribery offences investigated by the police, committed either overseas or in England and Wales.General bribery offences (sections 1 and 2 Bribery Act 2010)The tables below show the number of individuals – British national or UK resident – charged and successful prosecuted (by way of guilty plea or conviction by jury) by the SFO under sections 1 and 2 of the Bribery Act 2010.British nationalUK residentIndividuals charged130Individuals successfully prosecuted (guilty plea, conviction by jury)60 Bribery Act 2010 countsSection 1Section 2Counts charged315Counts successfully prosecuted (guilty plea, conviction by jury)174The CPS does not record or hold the requested data centrally and is not able to disaggregate its data based on nationality of offenders. The information can only be obtained by completing manual case file reviews, which would be at a disproportionate cost.Section 7 Bribery Act 2010The SFO has charged and successfully prosecuted (by way of Deferred Prosecution Agreement, guilty plea, or conviction by jury) 12 organisations under section 7 of the Bribery Act 2010.The CPS has charged organisations under section 7 five times. However, this is not an indication of final outcome or if the charged offences were the substantive charges at finalisation. The CPS does not record or hold the requested data on prosecution outcomes at the offence-level centrally. The information can only be obtained by completing manual case file reviews, which would be at a disproportionate cost.Section 45 Criminal Finances Act 2017The SFO and CPS have not brought any charges under section 45 of the Criminal Finances Act 2017.
How many (a) attempted and (b) successful public prosecutions there have been of (a) British nationals and (b) individuals resident in the UK with respect to the general bribery offences under the Bribery Act 2010 broken down by (i) type or sub-type of offence and (ii) prosecuting organisation or agency.
As Solicitor General I superintend the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The SFO is the lead agency in England and Wales for investigating and prosecuting serious international fraud, bribery, and corruption cases. The CPS also prosecutes bribery offences investigated by the police, committed either overseas or in England and Wales.General bribery offences (sections 1 and 2 Bribery Act 2010)The tables below show the number of individuals – British national or UK resident – charged and successful prosecuted (by way of guilty plea or conviction by jury) by the SFO under sections 1 and 2 of the Bribery Act 2010.British nationalUK residentIndividuals charged130Individuals successfully prosecuted (guilty plea, conviction by jury)60 Bribery Act 2010 countsSection 1Section 2Counts charged315Counts successfully prosecuted (guilty plea, conviction by jury)174The CPS does not record or hold the requested data centrally and is not able to disaggregate its data based on nationality of offenders. The information can only be obtained by completing manual case file reviews, which would be at a disproportionate cost.Section 7 Bribery Act 2010The SFO has charged and successfully prosecuted (by way of Deferred Prosecution Agreement, guilty plea, or conviction by jury) 12 organisations under section 7 of the Bribery Act 2010.The CPS has charged organisations under section 7 five times. However, this is not an indication of final outcome or if the charged offences were the substantive charges at finalisation. The CPS does not record or hold the requested data on prosecution outcomes at the offence-level centrally. The information can only be obtained by completing manual case file reviews, which would be at a disproportionate cost.Section 45 Criminal Finances Act 2017The SFO and CPS have not brought any charges under section 45 of the Criminal Finances Act 2017.
What information her Department holds on the number of (a) attempted and (b) successful public prosecutions under Section 45 of the Criminal Finances Act 2017, broken down by (a) type or sub-type of offence and (b) prosecuting organisation or agency.
As Solicitor General I superintend the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The SFO is the lead agency in England and Wales for investigating and prosecuting serious international fraud, bribery, and corruption cases. The CPS also prosecutes bribery offences investigated by the police, committed either overseas or in England and Wales.General bribery offences (sections 1 and 2 Bribery Act 2010)The tables below show the number of individuals – British national or UK resident – charged and successful prosecuted (by way of guilty plea or conviction by jury) by the SFO under sections 1 and 2 of the Bribery Act 2010.British nationalUK residentIndividuals charged130Individuals successfully prosecuted (guilty plea, conviction by jury)60 Bribery Act 2010 countsSection 1Section 2Counts charged315Counts successfully prosecuted (guilty plea, conviction by jury)174The CPS does not record or hold the requested data centrally and is not able to disaggregate its data based on nationality of offenders. The information can only be obtained by completing manual case file reviews, which would be at a disproportionate cost.Section 7 Bribery Act 2010The SFO has charged and successfully prosecuted (by way of Deferred Prosecution Agreement, guilty plea, or conviction by jury) 12 organisations under section 7 of the Bribery Act 2010.The CPS has charged organisations under section 7 five times. However, this is not an indication of final outcome or if the charged offences were the substantive charges at finalisation. The CPS does not record or hold the requested data on prosecution outcomes at the offence-level centrally. The information can only be obtained by completing manual case file reviews, which would be at a disproportionate cost.Section 45 Criminal Finances Act 2017The SFO and CPS have not brought any charges under section 45 of the Criminal Finances Act 2017.
What was the total (a) number and (b) value of financial penalties (i) levied and (ii) collected by Companies House since October 2024.
Since October 2024, 234 financial penalties have been issued. These had a total value of £58,500. The volume of penalties issued will rise once initial work to deploy the required systems and processes has been completed.5 financial penalties have been collected, totalling £1,250. Action to collect penalties will accelerate during summer 2025. Outstanding penalties will be referred to debt collection and litigation where appropriate.This information is unaudited and subject to change. Audited figures will be made available when Companies House’s annual accounts are laid in Parliament. This is currently expected to be delivered in July 2025.
If her Department will publish its response to its consultation on Reforming anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing supervision, published on 30 June 2023.
The Treasury’s consultation on reforming the UK’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing supervisory regime closed in September 2023. The Department is continuing to analyse responses to this consultation and remains committed to announcing next steps in due course.
If she will make an estimate of the number of unexplained wealth orders that have been (a) requested by and (b) granted to the Serious Fraud Office for each year from 2020 to 2024.
The SFO has made one application for an unexplained wealth order (UWO) since 2020. This UWO application was accepted by the court on 17 January 2025 and related to the recovery of property suspected to have been purchased with the proceeds of a £100 million fraud.
If her Department will take steps to publish a public private economic crime data strategy.
The Government is committed to delivering the Economic Crime Plan 2 commitment to publish a public-private Economic Crime Data Strategy. The Home Office has engaged extensively with stakeholders in the public and private sectors over the last 18 months to determine the vision and content of the strategy and intends to publish a strategy later this year.
How many (a) high-end, (b) trade-based and (c) cash-based money laundering incidents were identified by Companies House in each year between 2020 and 2024.
Companies House does not hold this information. Prior to March 2024, Companies House had limited powers to analyse and share information. Whilst the investigation of suspected money laundering is not within its remit, where suspicious patterns of behaviour are identified that reflect the typology of money laundering, Companies House will share this information with relevant law enforcement partners, using data sharing powers which came into force in March 2024.
How many requests were made to Companies House to (a) remove and (b) change director details in each year between 2020 and 2024.
No figure for requests to remove or change director details is currently available.Companies House does hold data on removals of officer addresses. To the year ending 4 March 2025, Companies House removed 66,900 officer addresses.
For what reason the launch of the service to register Companies House authorised agents has been delayed.
Companies House is transforming its technology infrastructure in order to implement measures under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.The decision was taken to postpone the full launch for a short period to allow time to address the issues and ensure the service will continue to operate to a high standard for customers.
Whether Companies House has key performance indicators to measure the quality of information on the registry.
Work is underway to develop key performance indicators and establish baselines to measure the quality of information on the Companies House register. The need for this work has been triggered by the implementation of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA).The key performance indicators will include assessments of compliance levels, adherence to data standards and measurement of the value of the information on the Register.Companies House are also investigating ways to estimate false, misleading and inaccurate information in line with the Registrar’s objectives under ECCTA. This will be based on the threats outlined in the Strategic Intelligence Assessment.
If her Department will publish its response to the Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences.
The Report from Part One of the Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences, “Disclosure in the Digital Age”, will be published shortly. The Government Response will be published in due course.
How many requests were made by Companies House to query information (a) sent for acceptance to and (b) already published on the register using the new enforcement powers introduced in March 2024.
Since 4 March 2024 Companies House has been using its new powers to challenge, question and reject documents and to make enquiries about documents that have already been registered.No figure for filings that have been queried prior to before registration is available.To the year ending 4 March 2025, Companies House removed:82,600 registered office addresses,66,900 officer addresses,55,100 PSC addresses,11,200 other documentsPersonal information was redacted from 49,800 incorporation documents. A further have been removed from the register. These actions have affected 100,400 companies in total.
If she will make an estimate of the number of unexplained wealth orders that have been (a) requested by and (b) granted to the National Crime Agency each year from 2020 to 2024.
Between 2020 to 2024, the National Crime Agency (NCA) submitted two applications for unexplained wealth orders (UWOs) in 2023 with one being granted within the same year and the other being granted in 2024.There are a number of variables which impact an operational decision to seek a UWO including: the ease with which evidence can be obtained from overseas; whether it would be proportionate to go to the High Court; and suitability of alternative investigatory powers.The NCA has several other well-established powers under Part 8 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, which they may use to compel information regarding the ownership of asset during an investigation such as Production Orders and Disclosure Orders. The NCA continues to review whether cases are suitable for a UWO.The Government committed to report on the number of UWOs applied for and obtained each year under the Economic Crime Transparency and Enforcement Act 2022.The report covering the 2023-24 period can be found at: Unexplained wealth orders: 2023 to 2024 annual report - GOV.UK
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will hold a summit of international financial centres.
Tackling corruption and illicit finance is a central priority of the Foreign Secretary to support the Government's Plan for Change by supporting UK growth and national security, including safer streets. The Foreign Secretary's Campaign Against Illicit Finance, launched in November 2024, will work in partnership with the rest of His Majesty's Government to deliver a powerful whole of UK Government approach both at home and internationally. The Foreign Secretary is exploring a range of options to galvanise global collective action against this transnational threat, including the idea to host an international summit.
On what date bids for the next wave of City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement funding should be submitted to her Department.
At October Budget, the Government confirmed funding for the current City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement programme in 2025-26, including a £200m uplift. Further funding beyond 2025-26 is being considered as part of the multi-year Spending Review, which is expected to conclude in late Spring.
If he will make an estimate of the number of people who will be affected by the increase in the national minimum wage in each (a) local authority and (b) parliamentary constituency in (i) Birmingham and (ii) Solihull broken; and what the average uplift to annual wages will be for people earning the minimum wage.
The recently published Impact Assessment estimates the number of workers who will be affected by the increases in the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage, broken down by region and country. More granular estimates by local authority and parliamentary constituency are subject to greater data reliability issues due to survey response rates.A full-time worker earning the National Living Wage will see their gross annual earnings rise by £1,400 per year. A full-time worker earning the 18-20 National Minimum Wage will see their gross annual earnings rise by £2,500 per year.
How many pensioners are in receipt of the State Pension in each (a) local authority and (b) parliamentary constituency in (i) Birmingham and (ii) Solihull; and what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the increase to the State Pension in the next financial year.
The number of pensioners in receipt of the State Pension in each (a) local authority and (b) parliamentary constituency in (i) Birmingham and (ii) Solihull are provided in the following tables. These figures are for the quarter ending August 2024 and are available at DWP Stat-Xplore. (a) (i) - Birmingham Local Authority WardState Pension CaseloadAcocks Green2,848Allens Cross1,590Alum Rock1,809Aston1,890Balsall Heath West1,083Bartley Green3,565Billesley3,045Birchfield1,027Bordesley and Highgate671Bordesley Green875Bournbrook and Selly Park1,251Bournville and Cotteridge3,502Brandwood and King's Heath2,850Bromford and Hodge Hill2,462Castle Vale1,449Druids Heath and Monyhull1,661Edgbaston2,509Erdington3,155Frankley Great Park1,825Garretts Green1,208Glebe Farm and Tile Cross2,689Gravelly Hill1,052Hall Green North2,806Hall Green South1,830Handsworth1,081Handsworth Wood2,716Harborne3,363Heartlands888Highter's Heath1,663Holyhead956King's Norton North2,110King's Norton South1,609Kingstanding2,714Ladywood1,227Longbridge and West Heath3,498Lozells703Moseley3,189Nechells857Newtown755North Edgbaston2,030Northfield1,970Oscott2,948Perry Barr2,948Perry Common1,714Pype Hayes1,546Quinton3,392Rubery and Rednal1,878Shard End1,729Sheldon3,353Small Heath1,673Soho and Jewellery Quarter1,574South Yardley1,393Sparkbrook and Balsall Heath East1,929Sparkhill1,783Stirchley1,271Stockland Green2,553Sutton Four Oaks2,336Sutton Mere Green2,303Sutton Reddicap1,743Sutton Roughley2,354Sutton Trinity1,982Sutton Vesey4,317Sutton Walmley and Minworth3,881Sutton Wylde Green2,441Tyseley and Hay Mills1,070Ward End964Weoley and Selly Oak3,202Yardley East1,751Yardley West and Stechford1,290 (a) (ii) - Solihull Local Authority WardState Pension CaseloadBickenhill2,540Blythe2,761Castle Bromwich2,725Chelmsley Wood1,988Dorridge and Hockley Heath2,692Elmdon2,464Kingshurst and Fordbridge1,784Knowle3,167Lyndon2,434Meriden3,121Olton2,772Shirley East2,371Shirley South2,859Shirley West2,687Silhill2,789Smith's Wood1,868St Alphege3,214 (b) (i) - Birmingham Parliamentary ConstituencyState Pension CaseloadBirmingham Edgbaston14,853Birmingham Erdington16,063Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley13,148Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North14,525Birmingham Ladywood8,847Birmingham Northfield16,997Birmingham Perry Barr12,384Birmingham Selly Oak14,322Birmingham Yardley13,381Sutton Coldfield21,356 (b) (ii) - Solihull Parliamentary ConstituencyState Pension CaseloadBirmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North14,525Meriden and Solihull East20,545Solihull West and Shirley19,100 In 2025/26, it is estimated the total State Pension expenditure will increase by around £9bn (in nominal terms). This estimation is available in the latest Benefit Expenditure and Caseload tables published at Autumn Budget 2024. Source: Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2024 - GOV.UK