Wednesday Volume 589 17 December 2014 No. 82 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Wednesday 17 December 2014 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2014 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1385 17 DECEMBER 2014 1386 Justine Greening: The right hon. Gentleman is right House of Commons to say that we need to learn some lessons from how the WHO and the international community has responded Wednesday 17 December 2014 to the crisis. Speed was of the essence, so I think there are lots of lessons to be learned. I had a chance to meet some of the amazing UK personnel working on our The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock behalf, including some fantastic NHS health workers who are out there providing front-line care. PRAYERS Keith Vaz (Leicester East) (Lab): May I commend the Government for what they have done so far? How much [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] of the money spent was directed towards projects to do with health awareness as opposed to dealing with the after-effects of Ebola? Oral Answers to Questions Justine Greening: We have a several million pound programme that is focused particularly on so-called social mobilisation. It is about training community workers to go out into communities and talk to people INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT about how they can take practical steps themselves to reduce the risk of catching Ebola. Of course, the work The Secretary of State was asked— we are doing in putting in place safe burial teams, which are now burying 100% of bodies safely in the main Ebola western area zone and 95% across the country, is one of the key ways in which we can stop the infection from 1. Ms Margaret Ritchie (South Down) (SDLP): What spreading further. recent progress her Department has made on tackling Ebola in west Africa. [906668] Mrs Caroline Spelman (Meriden) (Con): The Secretary of State mentioned the toll on children in Africa—the The Secretary of State for International Development number of Ebola orphans adding to the huge number (Justine Greening): The United Kingdom is leading the of AIDS orphans. Will she join me in encouraging international response to the Ebola crisis in Sierra people at Christmas time to make a donation through Leone, from where I have just returned. We have already British charities that work especially among the children committed £230 million and delivered over 880 treatment of Africa? and isolation beds. We have opened three laboratories, and we have doubled the number of burial teams. Justine Greening: I certainly would. Two journalists from the Sunday Mirror accompanied me on my visit, Ms Ritchie: I thank the Secretary of State for her and they are running an important campaign with answer. The World Health Organisation believes that Street Child, which is seeking to raise money to do since February 2014 there have been nearly 18,000 precisely what my right hon. Friend suggests. We work recorded Ebola cases and 6,000 deaths. According to with that charity, too, and we will continue to do more. Dr Frieden, the director of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, speed of response is the key to Tax Havens (Multinationals) ending epidemics affecting Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. In the light of her visit, will the Secretary of State indicate what further actions can be taken, 2. Debbie Abrahams (Oldham East and Saddleworth) notwithstanding what has already been done? (Lab): What estimate she has made of the loss of tax receipts to developing countries by the use of tax Justine Greening: Yes, of course. We will continue to havens by multinational companies operating in those deliver the promises we have made such as getting countries in the last three years. [906669] hospitals open and delivering extra beds. A key announcement I made during my visit over the past few 4. Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab): What estimate days was to provide more protection for the many she has made of the loss of tax receipts to developing children affected by the crisis. Many of them are orphaned countries by the use of tax havens by multinational or themselves suffering from Ebola and needing to companies operating in those countries in the last three recover. There will be lots more support for them. I can years. [906671] assure the hon. Lady that as we are able to scale up the operation, we will reach more and more patients. 6. Andy Sawford (Corby) (Lab/Co-op): What estimate she has made of the loss of tax receipts to Sir Malcolm Bruce (Gordon) (LD): I would like to developing countries by the use of tax havens by thank, through the Secretary of State, the British personnel multinational companies operating in those countries who are engaged in tackling the outbreak. Following up in the last three years. [906673] the question on the WHO, does she acknowledge that it did not respond quickly enough and that its mechanisms The Secretary of State for International Development are not really fit for purpose? Will she press for a review (Justine Greening): Tax avoidance is a significant challenge of the workings of the WHO so that it can be more for developing countries, which is why the UK has led efficient in future? international action at Lough Erne and, more recently, 1387 Oral Answers17 DECEMBER 2014 Oral Answers 1388 in the G20 to help tackle the problem through capacity- ensure that we can take action if money laundering and building projects and through the implementation of the corrupt obtaining of assets are associated with international initiatives. United Kingdom institutions. Debbie Abrahams: The EU is currently negotiating Several hon. Members rose— the anti-money laundering directive. What is the Secretary of State doing to ensure that this includes public registers Mr Speaker: Order. Members must stand if they wish and that the UK does not become part of a two-tier to ask a question. They must not simply gesticulate. I system of corporate transparency? call Mr Barclay. Justine Greening: As the hon. Lady will be aware, one Stephen Barclay (North East Cambridgeshire) (Con): of the key objectives of the G8 presidency, which we May I return the Secretary of State to the issue raised had last year, was about tax transparency. I am really by the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Nick Smith)? proud that our Government have led the way in tackling As she will know, the Government of the 14 overseas issues such as base erosion and profit shifting. Rules territories were in London last week, and published that have been in place since the 1920s need to be action plans last year. The British Virgin Islands and updated for today’s modern corporate world. We are the Cayman Islands, for instance, have delayed any making big steps on that and big steps on transparency action in relation to their own action plans for more and beneficial ownership, and we will continue to play than 300 days. When will we see any implementation of our role, leading the international effort to improve the the commitments that they have made? rules so that we can get the tax due in the countries where the work has taken place. Justine Greening: As my hon. Friend has said, for the first time overseas territories have signed up to action plans, and the next step is to ensure that they implement Nick Smith: May I press the Secretary of State on them. In fact, a number of countries need to stand by this? Does she not accept that the overseas territories the promises that they made and deliver on them. and Crown dependencies must go beyond a promise to However, we are delivering on our own promises. implement the G20 principles, and actually introduce public registers of beneficial ownership? Anas Sarwar (Glasgow Central) (Lab): I am sorry, but the Secretary of State can do better than that. We Justine Greening: The hon. Gentleman is talking know that tax revenues amounting to three times the about G20 progress that was instigated by this Government entire global aid budget are lost to developing countries when we held the G8 presidency. I am tempted to make every year, and that nearly a third of the estimated the point that the Labour Government had 13 years in $32 trillion of private financial wealth that is held in tax which to take steps in this direction, and entirely failed havens comes from those countries. A year ago, the to do so. We took some important steps during our G8 Prime Minister said that there would be a public register presidency, and, as he will know, that involved the of beneficial ownership. That must include the overseas overseas territories. We are not saying that we have gone territories and Crown dependencies. By dithering and all the way down the path, but we are starting to move delaying, whose interests is the Secretary of State protecting? down it for the first time, and I think that the hon. Gentleman should welcome that. I assure him that we Justine Greening: There was dither and delay for will continue to work to ensure that we bring the rest of 13 years under the last Government. I do not think we the international community with us. need take any lectures from them, either on the closing of our domestic tax gap—which grew under Labour—or, Andy Sawford: According to analysis by the ONE indeed, on the closing of the international gap.