Category: Gov Press Releases

Minister for the Middle East, Mr Alistair Burt said:

The UK government welcomes yesterday’s meeting of Libyan leaders in Paris with Ghassan Salamé, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General. The commitments entered into represent a potentially important step forward in Libya’s political transition, including in terms of creating the conditions for successful elections.

The priority now is the implementation of those commitments. There is a window of opportunity for progress in Libya, and we urge all of her leaders to seize it by engaging fully with UN-led efforts to facilitate a more inclusive political settlement in Libya. The UK will continue to co-operate closely with our international partners in support of SRSG Salamé, and of our shared objective for a stable Libya capable of tackling her migration, terrorism and other challenges.

Further information

• Follow Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt @AlistairBurtUK
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

Following collaboration between the Insolvency Service and HMRC, Genc Ali Demir (53) and his nephew Mehmet Demir (26) have been disqualified from acting as company directors for seven years each after they suppresed takings and sales that had been omitted from submitted VAT returns.

The disqualifications relate to Mehmet Ali and his uncle’s management of Camden Kebab Ltd, which traded as kebab takeaway ‘Real Taste’ from 44 Camden High Street, North West London.

The Companies House register listed Mehmet Ali as the only registered director of Camden Kebab Ltd but investigations showed that his uncle played a key role in running the business.

An in-depth HMRC investigation revealed that the company had failed to record all of its takings and had therefore under-declared the VAT due to HMRC. As a result, HMRC raised a VAT assessment of £71,474.

During May and June 2016, HMRC carried out further investigations which uncovered, among other things, that the company ran a cash-only business and that the books and records it ought to have kept were inadequate and/or unsatisfactory.

At liquidation on 21 April 2017, HMRC stated that the company owed in excess of £297,000 for arrears of VAT, Corporation Tax and penalties.

HMRC issued Personal Liability Orders against both Genc Ali Demir and Mehmet Demir as their investigations led them to conclude both individuals ran the business despite officially it only being Mehmet Demir. Further investigations by the Insolvency Service following the company’s liquidation, confirmed the findings by HMRC.

As a result, Genc Ali Demir and Mehmet Demir gave disqualification undertakings which were accepted by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, on 5 and 9 April, respectively.

The disqualifications mean that both Genc Ali Demir and Mehmet Demir cannot be directors of a company whether directly or indirectly, or be involved in the management of a company in any way for the duration of their disqualifications – from 26 April and 30 April respectively – unless they have permission from court.

Lawrence Zussman, Deputy Head of Investigations with the Insolvency Service, said:

These disqualifications send a clear message to other company directors that tax abuse of any kind, particularly when it comes to suppression of takings by directors, will not be tolerated.

Much of the public service is funded by the correct amount of taxes being paid. By not declaring and paying the correct amount of taxes, the public has been deprived from receiving the services it deserves from the public sector.

Further, whether you are a registered director or not if there is evidence that demonstrates you acted in the capacity of the management of a company the Insolvency Service will be proactive in taking action against you which could result in disqualification as is the case here.

Notes to editors

Genc Ali Demir and Mehmet Demir were directors of Camden Kebab Ltd (Company number 08427880) which was incorporated in March 2013 before entering into Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation on 21 April 2017.

Genc Ali Demir is of London and his date of birth is April 1965. Mehmet Demir is also of London and his date of birth is April 1992.

Genc Ali Demir and Mehmet Demir have been disqualified for 7 years each from 26 April 2018 and 30 April 2018 respectively.

In giving his undertaking, Mehmet Demir did not dispute that he caused or allowed Camden Kebab Limited to suppress and conceal sales figures which resulted in the company under-declaring and underpaying VAT and Corporation Tax in that:

• In November 2015, HMRC VAT officers’ visited the premises and inspected the company’s VAT records. The company operated a cash-only business and the records were found to be inadequate and unsatisfactory.
• During May and June 2016, HMRC VAT officers’ carried out several test purchases and compared these to the company’s till rolls.
• HMRC VAT officer raised a protective assessment based on an estimated 30% of sales being declared. On 23 February 2017 a VAT assessment for £71,474 plus interest of £1,933.41 was raised covering the periods ending 31 December 2014 to 31 December 2016.
• Camden Kebab entered into Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation on 21 April 2017.
• The outstanding liability to HMRC as at the date of liquidation was £297,588.90 based on HMRC’s final proof of debt in respect of VAT, Corporation Tax, and penalties.

In giving his undertaking, Genc Demir did not dispute that he caused or allowed Camden Kebab Limited (“the company”) to suppress and conceal sales figures which resulted in the company under-declaring and underpaying VAT and Corporation Tax in that:

• In November 2015, HMRC VAT officers’ visited the premises and inspected the company’s VAT records. The company operated a cash only business and the records were found to be inadequate and unsatisfactory.
• During May and June 2016, HMRC VAT officers’ carried out several test purchases and compared these to the company’s till rolls.
• HMRC VAT officer raised a protective assessment based on an estimated 30% of sales being declared. On 23 February 2017 a VAT assessment for £71,474 plus interest of £1,933.41 was raised covering the periods ending 31 December 2014 to 31 December 2016.
• Camden Kebab entered into Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation on 21 April 2017.
• The outstanding liability to HMRC as at the date of liquidation was £297,588.90 based on HMRC’s final proof of debt in respect of VAT, Corporation Tax, and penalties.

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

• act as a director of a company
• take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership
• be a receiver of a company’s property

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings.

Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.

The Insolvency Service administers the insolvency regime, investigating all compulsory liquidations and individual insolvencies (bankruptcies) through the Official Receiver to establish why they became insolvent. It may also use powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK. In addition, the agency authorises and regulates the insolvency profession, deals with disqualification of directors in corporate failures, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

Contact Press Office

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7637 6498 or 020 7596 6187

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

In the dataset you can find the date of sale for each property, its full address and sale price, its category (residential or commercial) and type (detached, semi-detached, terraced, flat or maisonette and other), whether it is new build or not and whether it is freehold or leasehold.

The number of sales received for registration by property type and month

Property type	April 2018	March 2018	February 2018
Detached	16,728	20,144	19,174
Semi-detached	19,362	22,040	20,725
Terraced	20,714	23,036	21,462
Flat/maisonette	15,457	18,253	17,842
Other	6,147	6,811	6,046
Total	78,408	90,284	85,249

Of the 78,408 sales received for registration in April 2018:

• 57,657 were freehold, a 5.2% increase on April 2017
• 11,758 were newly built, a 28.2% increase on April 2017

There is a time difference between the sale of a property and its registration at HM Land Registry.

Of the 78,408 sales received for registration, 18,696 took place in April 2018 of which:

• 363 were of residential properties in England and Wales for £1 million and over
• 213 were of residential properties in Greater London for £1 million and over
• 2 were of residential properties in Birmingham for £1 million and over
• 2 were of residential properties in Greater Manchester for £1 million and over

The most expensive residential sale taking place in April 2018 was of a detached property in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London for £19,800,000. The cheapest residential sale in April 2018 was of a terraced property in Burnley, Lancashire for £17,500.

The most expensive commercial sale taking place in April 2018 was in the City of Westminster, for £95,370,000. The cheapest commercial sale in April 2018 was in Bolton for £425.

Access the full dataset

Notes to editors

1. Price Paid Data is published at 11am on the 20th working day of each month. The next dataset will be published on Thursday 28 June 2018.
2. Price Paid Data is property price data for all residential and commercial property sales in England and Wales that are lodged with HM Land Registry for registration in that month, subject to exclusions.
3. The amount of time between the sale of a property and the registration of this information with HM Land Registry varies. It typically ranges between two weeks and two months. Data for the two most recent months is therefore incomplete and does not give an indication of final monthly volumes. Occasionally the interval between sale and registration is longer than two months. The small number of sales affected cannot be updated for publication until the sales are lodged for registration.
4. Price Paid Data categories are either Category A (Standard entries) which includes single residential properties sold for full market value or Category B (Additional entries) for example sales to a company, buy-to-lets where they can be identified by a mortgage and repossessions.
5. HM Land Registry has been collecting information on Category A sales from January 1995 and on Category B sales from October 2013.
6. Price Paid Data can be downloaded in text, CSV format and in a machine readable format as linked data and is released under Open Government Licence (OGL). Under the OGL, HM Land Registry permits the use of Price Paid Data for commercial or non-commercial purposes. However, the OGL does not cover the use of third party rights, which HM Land Registry is not authorised to license.
7. The Price Paid Data report builder allows users to build bespoke reports using the data. Reports can be based on location, estate type, price paid or property type over a defined period of time.
8. HM Land Registry’s mission is to guarantee and protect property rights in England and Wales.
9. HM Land Registry is a government department created in 1862. It operates as an executive agency and a trading fund and its running costs are covered by the fees paid by the users of its services. Its ambition is to become the world’s leading land registry for speed, simplicity and an open approach to data.
10. HM Land Registry safeguards land and property ownership worth in excess of £4 trillion, including around £1 trillion of mortgages. The Land Register contains more than 25 million titles showing evidence of ownership for some 85% of the land mass of England and Wales.
11. For further information about HM Land Registry visit www.gov.uk/land-registry.
12. Follow us: Twitter @HMLandRegistry, our blog, LinkedIn and Facebook.

New measures to improve fairness and transparency for livestock producers are being proposed today (Wednesday 30 May) – with a consultation on mandating sheep carcase classification to ensure consistency across all abattoirs in England.

Under the proposals, qualified assessors will use a standard grid to classify carcasses and determine how much a producer should be paid. As producers will also receive the results of the classification process, the changes will ensure producers are paid for their livestock in a fair and transparent way – helping them plan, react to the market and improve productivity.

The consultation is launched ahead of the Royal Bath and West Show, one of the oldest agricultural shows in England.

Farming Minister George Eustice said:

The quality of our lamb is the envy of the world. This consultation is an important step in improving fairness for sheep farmers and ensuring they get a fair deal for their excellent produce.

Today’s announcement follows the government’s response to the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) call for evidence which included plans for a £10 million collaboration fund, and compulsory dairy contracts and sheep carcase classification.

Updating carcase classification is one of a number of measures we will bring to help protect the interests of farmers and small producers. It will also bring carcase classification for sheep in line with classification for cows and pigs which has been mandatory in commercial-scale abattoirs for many years.

Wales is running a parallel consultation with England, which opens on Thursday 31 May.

The consultation will run for 12 weeks and plans will affect abattoirs slaughtering more than 1,000 sheep a week in England. There are also suggestions for greater transparency that would affect all beef, pig and sheep abattoirs, including publishing a schedule of charges for all livestock species.

The consultation can be viewed here.

Known as Project Argus, enthusiastic members from the Basingstoke Astronomical Society will look for and catalogue satellites and other objects orbiting the Earth.
They will be paying particular attention to a new device being deployed from the International Space Station which will send out a ‘net’ to catch old or unused satellites. The increasing problem of space junk means scientists across the world are looking for new solutions to bring down, or de-orbit, used satellites.

The project will gather a range of data which will be used to advise the Ministry of Defence on what equipment capabilities they need to effectively monitor the population of satellites and junk in the earth’s orbit.

Andrew Ash, from the space team at Dstl, said:

Previously, we have used information shared by our US colleagues. Space is so crowded now, with more universities and other non-traditional partners launching satellites, that we may well need our own capability.

If we can harness information which some very good amateur astronomers are collecting, we can assess whether we can use an off-the-shelf solution. This has the potential to save a huge amount of money for the MOD. We’re hoping that the astronomers will all be contributing to some valuable work and a research paper at the end of the trial.

For more information contact the Dstl press office on 01980 956845 or 07384 210107.

Email: press@dstl.gov.uk

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

I am pleased Andargachew Tsege is now able to reunite with his loved ones after being separated from them for so long.

His case has been a priority for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and our staff have worked tirelessly to support him and his family throughout his detention.

Recent moves by the Ethiopian Government send a positive signal that they remain serious about following through with promised reforms to increase political space.

Further information

• Follow the Foreign Secretary on Twitter @BorisJohnson and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

The UK is providing a new package of life-saving support to help treat patients in 11 hospitals under pressure in Gaza, by restocking vital medical supplies including surgical equipment, bandages and medicines following the recent surge in violence.

The funding, announced by Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt today (Tuesday 29 May) on a visit to Gaza, will support work by the International Committee of the Red Cross to keep hospitals open and functioning at a time when the healthcare system is under huge strain.

Today’s commitment of £1.5 million will also help provide physical rehabilitation services for around 4,000 people.

Speaking from Gaza, Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt said:

I am deeply concerned about the worsening situation in the Gaza strip, and today’s UK aid package gives a message to the world, and to the people of Gaza, that we have not forgotten them or their plight.

Today’s support will help to ensure that hospitals which are under immense pressure are able to cope with the increased number of casualties who need medical and surgical care. It is absolutely vital that the UK steps up to help those suffering and ensure that vulnerable Gazans are able to access treatment to keep them alive.

We have been clear that a political settlement is the only way to ensure lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis alike. All parties must redouble their political efforts and return to the negotiating table, not only to address the deteriorating conditions in Gaza, but to ensure tragedies of the past months are not repeated.

UK support is already providing Gazans with access to clean water, and improving sanitation facilities to help stop the spread of deadly disease.

Through the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), UK aid is providing basic health and education to 1.3 million people in Gaza, as well as over 800,000 refugees in the West Bank.

Minister Burt announced in March at the Rome Conference that the UK will deliver its next round of financial support to UNRWA earlier than originally planned to help meet the growing needs of Palestinian refugees across the region.

Notes to editors

Today’s £1.5 million package is a new allocation from the Occupied Palestinian Territories programme budget for 2018/19.

Deputy President of the Supreme Court: Lord Reed

The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of The Rt Hon Lord Reed as Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. Lord Reed will replace The Rt Hon the Lord Mance who retires on Wednesday 6 June 2018.

Background information

Lord Reed was appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court in February 2012. From 2008 to 2012 he was a member of the Inner House of the Court of Session, and from 1998 to 2008, a member of the Outer House of the Court of Session, where he was the Principal Commercial Judge.

In response to shocking recent chemical attacks, 10 states have now joined the UK’s request, sharing a desire to see the use of Chemical Weapons banished to the past.

The Conference will look at ways in which the international community can work together to strengthen and protect this cornerstone of the international rules-based system of non-proliferation.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

The world came together in 1997 to outlaw the development, stockpiling and use of these vile substances through the Chemical Weapons Convention. But in recent years we have seen chemical attacks by the Asad regime in Syria, by Daesh in Syria and Iraq, in Malaysia and even here in the UK in Salisbury.

Today we have brought together 11 other states to formally ask the Director General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to convene a special Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention.

We call on all right-thinking states to come together next month to take action to reaffirm and defend the ban on chemical weapons, and to strengthen the Organisation which we have entrusted with overseeing it.

Notes

• Under the Chemical Weapons Convention, 192 States Parties came together to ban the use of Chemical Weapons.
• The special Conference must be held within 30 days of today’s letter. With 11 states already cosponsoring the call, the UK is confident that the OPCW will soon receive the 64 supportive responses needed for the conference to go ahead.

Further information

• Follow the Foreign Secretary on Twitter @BorisJohnson and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn