Speeches by Hatton.

“Going further on the reserve estate optimisation plan, General Overton, would you be able to give us an overview of the progress that has been made with delivering it?”

“Do you think that once you have published the plan you will have the infrastructure to see through that 30% uplift?”

“What is the delivery timescale as you try to meet the ambitions of the SDR?”

“That sounds positive, but do you feel that the current staffing numbers and arrangements are sufficient?”

“General Overton, could you outline in a bit more detail whether you feel the MOD currently has the right staff, the right structure and the right support, as the only sponsor for the RFCAs?”

“Excuse my ignorance, but is there an end date for delivery of the whole plan that you aspire to meet?”

“I respectfully disagree with that position. I believe that there are already levels of safeguarding in the legislation. New clause 15 is a compassionate and practical clause that would ensure the law works not only with the individual making the choice, but for the family they leave behind. I move now to speak briefly …”

“I rise to speak in support of new clause 15 and amendment 54, and against new clause 5. As right hon. and hon. Members will be aware, new clause 15 would not classify a death under the Bill as suspicious or unexpected, so a full coroner’s inquest would not be needed. If the Bill becomes law, assisted dying would be a l…”

“I share my hon. Friend’s sentiment. I firmly believe that we should protect bereaved families against such a distressing ordeal happening automatically, particularly when the process, as set out in the Bill, will already be legal and transparent. With that in mind, it makes practical sense to support new clause 15. If …”

“The Chair raises a really important point here. Following our session with your predecessor, JP, the Government agreed with this Committee’s recommendation that HMRC research which interventions are most effective in achieving that strong deterrent effect for tax evaders and other organised criminals. What progress has…”

“Will there be a publication date for the strategy to be put in one place?”

“Since your predecessor last came here, the Government have agreed with the PAC’s recommendation that HMRC should develop a stand-alone strategy to reduce the offshore tax gap, so government Ministers also understand the scale of the problem here. With that in mind, can you illuminate the Committee today as to when you …”

“My objective rests on you having an accurate figure for what the offshore tax gap is.”

“Surely, you can understand our concern. Sitting alongside what the common reporting standard sets out, we have seen a litany of offshore tax leaks, such as the Panama papers and the Pandora papers, which expose the scale of tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance. For instance, the Panama papers pointed out that 100 U…”

“So you are accepting that it is partial.”

“You might be the only ones, but it does not mean that it is effective.”

“Is this a very effective formula? Is it world leading? Is it robust?”

“It is £570 billion held in tax havens. These jurisdictions exist completely to enable people to aggressively avoid and evade tax. If it is a £570 billion figure of just UK taxpayers, can you really tell us with confidence that that £0.3 billion figure is an accurate estimate of the offshore tax gap?”

“Just to be really clear, do you feel that the £0.3 billion figure that your predecessor, JP, brought to this Committee is, in any way, a robust estimate of the offshore tax gap, particularly considering that HMRC’s own common reporting standard points out that UK taxpayers hold £850 billion in foreign accounts? I am no…”

“I just wanted to make sure that we did not forget to talk about the offshore tax gap, although we have started to touch upon it. We have talked about the overall tax gap, and the tax gap for the wealthiest individuals. When your predecessor came to this Committee not so long ago, we had quite a back‑and‑f…”