{ "format" : "linked-data-api", "version" : "0.2", "result" : {"_about" : "http://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?tablingMemberPrinted.=Shabana+Mahmood&hansardHeading=HSBC", "definition" : "http://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/meta/answeredquestions.text?tablingMemberPrinted.=Shabana+Mahmood&hansardHeading=HSBC", "extendedMetadataVersion" : "http://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?tablingMemberPrinted.=Shabana+Mahmood&_metadata=all&hansardHeading=HSBC", "first" : "http://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?tablingMemberPrinted.=Shabana+Mahmood&_page=0&hansardHeading=HSBC", "hasPart" : "http://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?tablingMemberPrinted.=Shabana+Mahmood&hansardHeading=HSBC", "isPartOf" : "http://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?tablingMemberPrinted.=Shabana+Mahmood&hansardHeading=HSBC", "items" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/222416", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "HM Treasury"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/222416/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has regular meetings with the Prime Minister to discuss a wide range of issues, including tax avoidance.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1529", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr David Gauke"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Hertfordshire"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr David Gauke"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-03-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-03-17T17:09:19.167Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "14"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2015-02-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "HSBC"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on HSBC and tax evasion since May 2010.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3914", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Shabana Mahmood"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Birmingham, Ladywood"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Shabana Mahmood"} ], "uin" : "224675"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/222425", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "HM Treasury"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/222425/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The information sought was provided by Edward Troup in oral evidence to the Committee of Public Accounts on 28 October 2013, HC666, from Question 328 onwards.<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
It is a long standing principle that Ministers are not involved in individual cases. HM Revenue and Customs\u2019 (HMRC) approach to prosecution has not changed since it was set out by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2002 \u2013 (Official Report, 7 November 2002; Vol. 392, c. 784W.).<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1529", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr David Gauke"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Hertfordshire"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr David Gauke"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-03-19", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "224809"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-03-19T16:53:46.973Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "14"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2015-02-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "HSBC"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the contribution of Edward Troup in oral evidence to the Committee of Public Accounts on 5 November 2012, HC716, Question 60, what progress has been made on the further dozen pending criminal prosecutions for cases related to HSBC and tax evasion.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3914", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Shabana Mahmood"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Birmingham, Ladywood"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Shabana Mahmood"} ], "uin" : "224808"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/222426", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "HM Treasury"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/222426/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
I refer the Hon. Lady to the answer I gave her on 20 February.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1529", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr David Gauke"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Hertfordshire"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr David Gauke"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-03-19", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-03-19T16:47:02.517Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "14"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2015-02-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "HSBC"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any Minister in his Department discussed the issue of HSBC and tax evasion with Lord Green during his time as Minister for Trade and Investment.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3914", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Shabana Mahmood"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Birmingham, Ladywood"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Shabana Mahmood"} ], "uin" : "224797"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/222431", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "HM Treasury"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/222431/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Information provided to Her Majesty\u2019s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) by the French tax authorities in respect of individuals indicated to hold accounts at the Geneva branch of HSBC Suisse and understood to be UK residents was supplied to HMRC under the terms of both the Mutual Assistance Directive 77/799/EEC and the Double Taxation Convention in force between France and the United Kingdom at that time:<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:31977L0799<\/a><\/p> <\/p> http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxtreaties/in-force/france.pdf<\/a><\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> The Mutual Assistance Directive had been in force since 23 December 1977. The Double Taxation Convention has been in force since 18 December 2009, replacing an earlier convention which had been in force since 1969.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> Since their entry into force each of these agreements has been a matter of public record.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> It is the responsibility of HMRC to determine the appropriate nature and scope of any response to information received under the provisions of a relevant double taxation convention.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> Ministers are not made aware of individual cases due to taxpayer confidentiality. At no point were ministers made aware by HMRC of any suggestion of wrong doing by HSBC itself.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> On receipt of the data referred to, a project team was immediately established, led by the then Directors of Risk & Intelligence Service, Criminal Investigations and Specialist Investigations. The then Director\u2014General was the senior responsible officer for the governance of the project.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> The data was cleansed, reducing the 6,800 entities referred to in the data to around 3,600 identified individuals with a potential UK connection. Further analysis confirmed that over 3,100 of these individuals could be traced. Following risk assessment, HMRC adopted a range of approaches to ensure that all of those individuals were appropriately challenged over their UK tax compliance. More than £135 million has been recovered to date.<\/p> <\/p> The purpose of the UK Swiss tax cooperation agreement is to secure the UK tax compliance of those UK residents holding accounts in Switzerland, through a combination of tax deductions at source and the release of detailed account information.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> The groundbreaking agreement introduced by this Government has secured over £1.2 billion, with more to come. This is money coming in to the UK exchequer from a jurisdiction previously beyond our reach and clearly demonstrates how this Government have supported HMRC\u2019s determined approach in tackling tax evasion.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> This deal has secured £1.2bn in tax for the Exchequer that we would not have otherwise received. The declaration does not prevent anyone from providing information to HMRC voluntarily or via a third party, and would not have prevented HMRC from receiving the data from Mr Falciani or any other whistleblower.<\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1529", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr David Gauke"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Hertfordshire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr David Gauke"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-03-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "224764"}
, {"_value" : "224787"}
, {"_value" : "224812"}
, {"_value" : "224813"}
], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-03-26T13:15:20.04Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "14"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2015-02-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "HSBC"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which Government minister was first made aware of files relating to HSBC and tax evasion.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3914", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Shabana Mahmood"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Birmingham, Ladywood"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Shabana Mahmood"}
], "uin" : "224786"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/222432", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "HM Treasury"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/222432/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Treasury Ministers have regular discussions with their counterparts in other departments throughout Whitehall. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government\u2019s practice to provide details of all such meetings and representations.<\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1529", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr David Gauke"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Hertfordshire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr David Gauke"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-03-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-03-04T13:25:31.2Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "14"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2015-02-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "HSBC"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any Ministers in his Department discussed allegations of money laundering at HSBC with Lord Green during his time as Minister for Trade and Investment.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3914", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Shabana Mahmood"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Birmingham, Ladywood"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Shabana Mahmood"}
], "uin" : "224795"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/222433", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "HM Treasury"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/222433/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Homeland Security & Government Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations\u2019 report into HSBC was published on 16 July 2012 and was widely covered in the media. The Treasury is not aware of information that would suggest that the UK Government knew of the committee\u2019s findings before they were published.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1529", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr David Gauke"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Hertfordshire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr David Gauke"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-03-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-03-17T17:23:06.54Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "14"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2015-02-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "HSBC"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when Ministers in his Department were first made aware of the findings of the US Senate Homeland Security Sub-Committee that led to HSBC being fined $1.9bn in December 2012.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3914", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Shabana Mahmood"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Birmingham, Ladywood"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Shabana Mahmood"}
], "uin" : "224796"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/222434", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "HM Treasury"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/222434/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Information provided to Her Majesty\u2019s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) by the French tax authorities in respect of individuals indicated to hold accounts at the Geneva branch of HSBC Suisse and understood to be UK residents was supplied to HMRC under the terms of both the Mutual Assistance Directive 77/799/EEC and the Double Taxation Convention in force between France and the United Kingdom at that time:<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:31977L0799<\/a><\/p> <\/p> http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxtreaties/in-force/france.pdf<\/a><\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> The Mutual Assistance Directive had been in force since 23 December 1977. The Double Taxation Convention has been in force since 18 December 2009, replacing an earlier convention which had been in force since 1969.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> Since their entry into force each of these agreements has been a matter of public record.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> It is the responsibility of HMRC to determine the appropriate nature and scope of any response to information received under the provisions of a relevant double taxation convention.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> Ministers are not made aware of individual cases due to taxpayer confidentiality. At no point were ministers made aware by HMRC of any suggestion of wrong doing by HSBC itself.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> On receipt of the data referred to, a project team was immediately established, led by the then Directors of Risk & Intelligence Service, Criminal Investigations and Specialist Investigations. The then Director\u2014General was the senior responsible officer for the governance of the project.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> The data was cleansed, reducing the 6,800 entities referred to in the data to around 3,600 identified individuals with a potential UK connection. Further analysis confirmed that over 3,100 of these individuals could be traced. Following risk assessment, HMRC adopted a range of approaches to ensure that all of those individuals were appropriately challenged over their UK tax compliance. More than £135 million has been recovered to date.<\/p> <\/p> The purpose of the UK Swiss tax cooperation agreement is to secure the UK tax compliance of those UK residents holding accounts in Switzerland, through a combination of tax deductions at source and the release of detailed account information.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> The groundbreaking agreement introduced by this Government has secured over £1.2 billion, with more to come. This is money coming in to the UK exchequer from a jurisdiction previously beyond our reach and clearly demonstrates how this Government have supported HMRC\u2019s determined approach in tackling tax evasion.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> This deal has secured £1.2bn in tax for the Exchequer that we would not have otherwise received. The declaration does not prevent anyone from providing information to HMRC voluntarily or via a third party, and would not have prevented HMRC from receiving the data from Mr Falciani or any other whistleblower.<\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1529", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr David Gauke"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Hertfordshire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr David Gauke"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-03-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "224764"}
, {"_value" : "224786"}
, {"_value" : "224812"}
, {"_value" : "224813"}
], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-03-26T13:15:20.15Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "14"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2015-02-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "HSBC"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what action was taken immediately after Government ministers were made aware of the files relating to HSBC and tax evasion.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3914", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Shabana Mahmood"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Birmingham, Ladywood"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Shabana Mahmood"}
], "uin" : "224787"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/222436", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "HM Treasury"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/222436/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The information sought was provided by Edward Troup in oral evidence to the Committee of Public Accounts on 28 October 2013, HC666, from Question 328 onwards.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> It is a long standing principle that Ministers are not involved in individual cases. HM Revenue and Customs\u2019 (HMRC) approach to prosecution has not changed since it was set out by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2002 \u2013 (Official Report, 7 November 2002; Vol. 392, c. 784W.).<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1529", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr David Gauke"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Hertfordshire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr David Gauke"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-03-19", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "224808"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-03-19T16:53:47.067Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "14"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2015-02-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "HSBC"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to comments by a senior HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) official to The Times, quoted in an article of 2 November 2012, what discussions Ministers of his Department had with HMRC officials on whether to pursue a selective prosecution policy on tax cases relating to HSBC in Switzerland.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3914", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Shabana Mahmood"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Birmingham, Ladywood"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Shabana Mahmood"}
], "uin" : "224809"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/222438", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "HM Treasury"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/222438/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Information provided to Her Majesty\u2019s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) by the French tax authorities in respect of individuals indicated to hold accounts at the Geneva branch of HSBC Suisse and understood to be UK residents was supplied to HMRC under the terms of both the Mutual Assistance Directive 77/799/EEC and the Double Taxation Convention in force between France and the United Kingdom at that time:<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:31977L0799<\/a><\/p> <\/p> http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxtreaties/in-force/france.pdf<\/a><\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> The Mutual Assistance Directive had been in force since 23 December 1977. The Double Taxation Convention has been in force since 18 December 2009, replacing an earlier convention which had been in force since 1969.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> Since their entry into force each of these agreements has been a matter of public record.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> It is the responsibility of HMRC to determine the appropriate nature and scope of any response to information received under the provisions of a relevant double taxation convention.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> Ministers are not made aware of individual cases due to taxpayer confidentiality. At no point were ministers made aware by HMRC of any suggestion of wrong doing by HSBC itself.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> On receipt of the data referred to, a project team was immediately established, led by the then Directors of Risk & Intelligence Service, Criminal Investigations and Specialist Investigations. The then Director\u2014General was the senior responsible officer for the governance of the project.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> The data was cleansed, reducing the 6,800 entities referred to in the data to around 3,600 identified individuals with a potential UK connection. Further analysis confirmed that over 3,100 of these individuals could be traced. Following risk assessment, HMRC adopted a range of approaches to ensure that all of those individuals were appropriately challenged over their UK tax compliance. More than £135 million has been recovered to date.<\/p> <\/p> The purpose of the UK Swiss tax cooperation agreement is to secure the UK tax compliance of those UK residents holding accounts in Switzerland, through a combination of tax deductions at source and the release of detailed account information.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> The groundbreaking agreement introduced by this Government has secured over £1.2 billion, with more to come. This is money coming in to the UK exchequer from a jurisdiction previously beyond our reach and clearly demonstrates how this Government have supported HMRC\u2019s determined approach in tackling tax evasion.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> This deal has secured £1.2bn in tax for the Exchequer that we would not have otherwise received. The declaration does not prevent anyone from providing information to HMRC voluntarily or via a third party, and would not have prevented HMRC from receiving the data from Mr Falciani or any other whistleblower.<\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1529", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr David Gauke"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Hertfordshire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr David Gauke"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-03-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "224764"}
, {"_value" : "224786"}
, {"_value" : "224787"}
, {"_value" : "224813"}
], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-03-26T13:15:20.277Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "14"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2015-02-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "HSBC"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when a Government minister was first made aware of files relating to HSBC and tax evasion.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3914", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Shabana Mahmood"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Birmingham, Ladywood"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Shabana Mahmood"}
], "uin" : "224812"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/222439", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "HM Treasury"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/222439/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Information provided to Her Majesty\u2019s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) by the French tax authorities in respect of individuals indicated to hold accounts at the Geneva branch of HSBC Suisse and understood to be UK residents was supplied to HMRC under the terms of both the Mutual Assistance Directive 77/799/EEC and the Double Taxation Convention in force between France and the United Kingdom at that time:<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p> http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:31977L0799<\/a><\/p> <\/p>