Justin Madders MP: speeches 2025

Speeches

• 29 Jan 2025 · Draft Register of Overseas Entities (Protection and Trusts) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 · Hansard source

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  I am grateful for the Opposition’s support. The shadow Minister raises some important questions. I think that these will be operational matters for the registrar. I have no doubt that there will be criteria; there will certainly be criteria available for legitimate interest tests. We envisage some kind of informal process for decisions to be challenged—but those, I think, will be operational matters for Companies House to decide in due course. I will write to the shadow Minister with further detail. The shadow Minister asked about the period for which the information would remain protected. My understanding is that the protection would remain in situ unless something came to light that suggested that that information needed to be questioned—but, again, that is more of an operational matter. I will write to him with further detail. If there are no further questions, let me commend the draft regulations to the Committee. Question put and agreed to.

• 29 Jan 2025 · Draft Register of Overseas Entities (Protection and Trusts) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 · Hansard source

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  I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Register of Overseas Entities (Protection and Trusts) (Amendment) Regulations 2025. It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair this morning, Sir Desmond. The draft regulations were laid before the House on 6 December 2024. The Government are committed to increasing transparency of beneficial ownership and combating economic crime. Hon. Members will be aware that since 2022 the UK has had a public register of beneficial ownership of overseas entities that own property in the UK, known as the register of overseas entities. The draft regulations will strengthen the transparency of trust information on the ROE to further improve transparency around the ownership and control of land. The ROE, which was created by the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022, requires overseas entities that own or buy property in the UK to give information to Companies House about their beneficial owners and/or managing officers. The ROE is a key tool in cracking down on dirty money in the UK and is crucial in the fight against bad actors who use UK property as a money-laundering vehicle. The information available on the ROE has been used by many journalists examining corruption, money laundering and assets held by individuals who are subject to sanctions. Currently, the ROE collects trust information, but there is no public access to that data, other than the name of the trustee. This approach protects the right to privacy for those who operate such structures for a variety of legitimate reasons. However, the Government understand that there are concerns around the use of trusts to facilitate economic crime, particularly because their anonymity makes assets easier to hide. The draft regulations have been designed to provide further transparency and prevent potential abuse of trusts, while supporting legitimate trust arrangements. They have been laid before the House under powers contained in the 2022 Act, as amended by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. The draft regulations consist of two measures. First, they will enable anyone to apply to Companies House to access trust information held on the ROE. This marks a significant step forward in transparency, empowering the public and civil society to scrutinise trust beneficiaries on the ROE more effectively. Anyone can apply to the registrar of companies for information about a specific trust. Applicants must provide their personal information, the name of the trust related to the relevant protected trust information, and the overseas entity’s name and ID. Applicants seeking trust information related to minors, or to more than one overseas entity in a single application, must meet a legitimate interest for the requested disclosures. This will ensure that the vulnerable are protected but that critical information is available to those with a valid need, such as investigative journalists. By requiring this safeguard, the Government are striking a fair balance between protecting personal information and delivering on our commitment to greater transparency. Applicants will need to show a legitimate interest; they cannot just go on a fishing expedition. They must show that they are investigating money laundering, tax evasion, terrorist financing or breach of sanctions and must provide a statement that they are requesting the disclosure in order to further that investigation and a statement on how they plan to use the information disclosed to them. If no such interest can be demonstrated, the registrar may withhold some or all of the information. The registrar will notify the applicant of the decision and will provide reasons. If a legitimate interest can be demonstrated, the registrar will release any unprotected information. The registrar will have the discretion to impose conditions under which the trust information is disclosed, such as restricting its use or further disclosure; failure to comply with those conditions will be an offence. The registrar may also refuse an application where disclosure may prejudice an ongoing criminal investigation or adversely affect national security, or where the trust is a pension scheme. The second measure in the draft regulations involves provisions for the protection of sensitive information, which will come into force before the disclosure provisions go live. Through the draft regulations, we are expanding the category of individuals who can apply to the registrar of companies at Companies House to have their information protected. This will ensure that those connected to a trust, such as settlors, trustees and beneficiaries, whose information could be published or disclosed by the registrar under the ROE, can apply to have their details protected from disclosure, for instance where there is a risk of violence or harm. The draft regulations will also expand the grounds on which an application for protection may be made, to include the ground that the individual is under 18 or lacks capacity. The protection provisions will come into force on 28 February; the provisions on disclosure of trust information will come into force on 31 August. This will allow sufficient time for those who are eligible to do so to apply to Companies House for protection. The draft regulations will not change the fact that an application for protection does not exempt an overseas entity from the requirements of the 2022 Act in general. The required information about the trust must still be supplied to Companies House, and the registrar will still be able to use their general information-sharing power, which was introduced by the 2022 Act, to share protected information with law enforcement agencies and public authorities for purposes connected to the exercise of their functions. The draft regulations will further the Government’s mission to improve transparency of the beneficial ownership of overseas entities investing in the UK, driving confidence in our economy and exposing bad actors who seek to take advantage illegitimately. I hope that hon. Members will support the draft regulations.

• 28 Jan 2025 · Unionised Workers in the Housing Sector: Pay Discrimination · Hansard source

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  I am grateful to the hon. Member for his support for unions. I was a little worried when the debate started because he was not in his normal place. I thought there was going to be some sort of national emergency because the hon. Member for Strangford had not attended the Adjournment debate, but I am glad he is here and that he has spoken very positively about the benefits of joining a trade union. I shall go back to some of the work we are doing to improve the industrial relations landscape. We are of course repealing the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023, which, to our mind, only increased tensions and failed to prevent a single day of industrial action. We are going further in strengthening the voice of working people by making it easier for trade unions to get recognised, giving them the right of access to workplaces and making sure that they have enough time to represent their members. When the rights of working people are flouted, our new fair work agency will be empowered to investigate. We have recently run a consultation on modernising trade union laws so that they are fit for the modern workplace and the modern economy. That consultation closed on 2 December and we are currently analysing responses. We will publish a Government response to the consultation before Report stage of the Employment Rights Bill. This is a transformative package that marks a new era for working people and I hope that hon. Members are in no doubt about the Government’s commitment to marking this new way forward. It is a way that brings a new deal for working people, making jobs more secure and family friendly, banning exploitative zero-hours contracts, supporting women in work at every stage in their life, and providing a genuine living wage and sick pay for the lowest earners. There will be further and faster action to close the gender pay gap, to ensure that rights are enforced and that trade unions are strengthened, to repeal anti-worker, anti-union laws, to turn the page on industrial relations and to end fire and rehire, while also giving working people the basic rights that they deserve at work from day one. This is a pro-business, pro-worker, pro-growth Bill from a pro-business, pro-worker, pro-growth Government. As we know, a range of protections exist for workers against inducements and detriment related to trade union membership or activities. Of those, I will mention three that may be relevant to this particular situation. Section 146 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 protects workers against detriment being imposed by an employer for the sole or main purpose of preventing or deterring the worker from being a trade union member or taking part in union activities, or penalising them for doing so. Through clause 63 of the Employment Rights Bill, we are enhancing protections against detriment by conferring a right on workers not to be subjected to detriment “for the sole or main purpose of preventing or deterring the worker from taking protected industrial action, or penalising the worker for doing so.” Section 145A of the 1992 Act protects workers against offers made by the employer for the sole or main purpose of inducing the worker not to be a trade union member or not to take part in union activities. Finally, section 145B of the 1992 Act protects members of trade unions that are recognised, or are seeking to be recognised, by their employer against offers made by the employer for the sole or main purpose of resulting in workers’ terms and conditions not being determined by a collective agreement negotiated by the union. As my hon. Friend the Member for Knowsley indicated, we cannot comment on the extent to which existing legislation applies to a particular case, as that is ultimately a matter for tribunals and courts to determine. However, I hope it has been helpful to state clearly some of the existing protections that may be relevant. It is also worth putting it on record that this Government expect employers to work in partnership with unions to resolve disputes through negotiation. We certainly do not believe that pay offers should be framed in a way that requires an individual to confirm that they are not a member of a trade union. At the very least, as my hon. Friend said, that goes against the spirit of good industrial relations. I recognise that disputes are sometimes difficult to resolve, and I take this opportunity to highlight the important role that ACAS plays in this space. Its remit is to promote good employment relations, to advise employers and employees on workplace matters, and to resolve individual and collective workplace disputes. Employees and employers in a workplace dispute may wish to contact ACAS to get advice on employment law and workplace relations, and to help resolve their dispute. Of course, resolving disputes through ACAS requires both parties to participate, and it is disappointing to hear from my hon. Friend that not only will Livv not engage with her on this matter, but it does not appear that it will engage with the trade union either. I hope Livv reconsiders because, through our “make work pay” agenda, we have been clear that it is our intention to ensure that workplace rights are fit for a modern economy, empower working people and deliver economic growth. That is why we have introduced the Employment Rights Bill, which represents the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation. We will always listen carefully to any arguments on how the law on inducements or detriment could be improved, and we always welcome views on how we can reset industrial relations to create a modern framework that is fit for a modern economy and modern working practices. I would welcome the opportunity to hear more information from my hon. Friend about the specifics of this issue, and I urge Livv to engage with her and the trade unions. I am open to looking at the case in more detail to understand what action, if any, is necessary, and I am always happy to work with my hon. Friend to ensure that trade union rights are properly observed in this country. Question put and agreed to.

• 28 Jan 2025 · Unionised Workers in the Housing Sector: Pay Discrimination · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Knowsley (Anneliese Midgley) for securing this debate and for her excellent speech. She has a long and proud record in the trade union movement, which she has brought to the fore today. I want to start by setting out the Government’s approach to the important subject of industrial relations. We want employers and trade unions to come together to grow our economy. We know that the world of work is fairer and more productive when people can come together to negotiate fair pay and decent conditions. That is why we are resetting industrial relations through the Employment Rights Bill. We are repealing nearly every part of the Trade Union Act 2016, which tried to smother trade unions in form-filling and red tape and prevent them from doing their core job of negotiation and dispute resolution.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Competition and Markets Authority Chairman · Hansard source

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  We absolutely agree that competition is vital for driving investment and growth. The CMA will remain operationally independent, as it always has been.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Competition and Markets Authority Chairman · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Member for her question. It is important that consumers and small businesses operate on a level playing field; it is also correct that we are very keen to see more growth delivered. We think that will benefit everyone in the economy, but I take the point that a balance has to be struck.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Competition and Markets Authority Chairman · Hansard source

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  The appointment of the permanent chair will take place in the normal manner, as all other appointments do.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Competition and Markets Authority Chairman · Hansard source

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  That is a very fair comment. We need to give businesses certainty and clarity that things will be resolved quickly, so that they have the confidence to make investment decisions.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Competition and Markets Authority Chairman · Hansard source

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  I can confirm that the CMA’s operational independence remains intact.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Competition and Markets Authority Chairman · Hansard source

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  We are really serious about growth. This is about sending the message that we want to make sure that Britain is open for investment, and that we will work with partners across the world to encourage investment and get the growth that we want, for the benefit of the entire economy. This is just one part of the plan.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Competition and Markets Authority Chairman · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is right that we need to give the business community confidence that decisions will be made quickly to provide certainty, so that it can move forward with investments for the benefit of the whole economy.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Competition and Markets Authority Chairman · Hansard source

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  We have our own ideas for growth. We have important planning reforms coming forward, and the industrial strategy, which drives forward the strengths of the UK economy. As for the hon. Gentleman’s Oasis pun, I think he needs to work a bit harder on that one.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Competition and Markets Authority Chairman · Hansard source

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  We are absolutely clear that we need to protect consumers, but we also need to drive growth. The new interim chair’s experience will be really important in helping us to understand how the tech companies will move forward, and his chairmanship of the Alan Turing Institute gives him valuable experience to bring to the table in delivering on that.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Competition and Markets Authority Chairman · Hansard source

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  I thank the hon. Lady for her question. Unfortunately, transport funding—particularly in Wales—is well outside the CMA’s remit.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Competition and Markets Authority Chairman · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend for her work on secondary ticketing, a subject on which there is currently a consultation. I am the Minister responsible for the CMA. A new strategic steer for the CMA will be issued later this year, and of course it will remain independent from Government.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Competition and Markets Authority Chairman · Hansard source

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  Yes, he was right. That is the message that the Prime Minister sent out to the regulators at the investment summit, and it is why they have been invited in to give their ideas on growth. We do not think that asking regulators how they are going to stimulate growth is a problem—that is the No. 1 mission of this Government, and everyone should be signed up to delivering on it.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Competition and Markets Authority Chairman · Hansard source

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  I will certainly pass that request on. That might be something that Ofgem would also have an interest in.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Competition and Markets Authority Chairman · Hansard source

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  I would not accept the hon. Gentleman’s characterisation at all, and I am sure that Conservative Members would not, either. We announced only this morning that we will take action against Amazon on knife sales, so I do not think the characterisation that we are in the pocket of big tech is at all accurate.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Competition and Markets Authority Chairman · Hansard source

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  I think there were a couple of questions in there about the role of the CMA chair. Of course, he did not get sacked; he resigned. A new strategic steer for the CMA will be coming out in due course. The hon. Gentleman’s tirade of criticisms of this Government was a bit rich coming from a man who was in the Treasury when the last Government crashed the economy. I would point out that PwC announced only this week that we were the second most attractive country in the world to invest in, and that the International Monetary Fund last week upgraded our growth predictions for this year. We are going to be the highest-growing major economy in Europe this year, and that shows our determination to get the growth going, which was something that his Government failed completely on.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Competition and Markets Authority Chairman · Hansard source

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  That is a very important point. Consumers see the petrol prices every time they leave their home in their motor vehicle. There is a disparity there that sometimes needs explanation, and certainly needs transparency, so I will take that issue up on the hon. Gentleman’s behalf, and will come back to him on it.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Competition and Markets Authority Chairman · Hansard source

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  The CMA’s operational independence will remain intact. We have clearly set out that there will be a new strategic steer, which will be about boosting growth. After conversations, we have decided that new leadership is needed to deliver on that.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Competition and Markets Authority Chairman · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Growth is the No. 1 mission for this Government, and getting the balance right between protecting consumers and driving up growth in the economy means that we all benefit. That is something we are very clear about on this side of the House, and something that the last Government failed to deliver on.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Competition and Markets Authority Chairman · Hansard source

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  That is a very interesting question. I am not sure that the CMA’s role is to monitor the number of millionaires leaving the country.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Competition and Markets Authority Chairman · Hansard source

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  My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We all need to be signed up to this agenda, which is absolutely critical for delivering on our aims of getting a better-growing economy, getting more money into people’s pockets, delivering on the promises we have made, and changing the tune after the last 14 years of decline.

• 22 Jan 2025 · Competition and Markets Authority Chairman · Hansard source

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  Following the resignation of the chair of the Competition and Markets Authority, Marcus Bokkerink, the Secretary of State has appointed Doug Gurr as the interim chair for a period of up to 18 months while our new permanent chair is appointed. The Secretary of State has expressed his gratitude for Marcus’s leadership of the board of the CMA since his appointment in September 2022, and for the work of the CMA in that time, particularly in response to cost of living pressures. As the Prime Minister set out in his speech at the international investment summit, this Government will ensure that every regulator in the UK focuses on growth. Given Doug Gurr’s background and experience as an entrepreneur and business leader, and his clear under-standing of the importance of new and developing technologies such as artificial intelligence, he will bring the necessary strategic leadership to the CMA to enable it to promote growth for the benefit of businesses and consumers. As set out in the industrial strategy Green Paper, the Government will shortly be consulting on a new growth-focused strategic steer for the CMA. While respecting the independence of the CMA and the decision making of its panel members, the steer will be clear about the Government’s expectations of the CMA in supporting growth across the economy.