Speaking in a debate on the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown asks about ensuring the UK’s overseas territories and Crown dependencies have open, public registers of company interests.
I doubt that there is anyone in this House who does not want the overseas territories and Crown dependencies to have open, public registers of company interests. If my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield’s new clause 6 does not pass, how will the House be able to have confidence that the Executive will make sufficient progress as though we had compelled them to issue Orders in Council?
I will be saying more about the overseas territories in a moment. I fully recognise the interest that my hon. Friend has shown, over many years, in the importance of protecting the interests of the overseas territories, particularly in the Caribbean. I will be able to give him deeper reassurance on this in a moment, but if I may, I will continue with my points in the order that I was planning to make them, by addressing the Magnitsky issue first, then Scottish limited partnerships, before turning to that rather more vexed issue.