HC Deb 21 January 2003 vol 398 c301W
Mr. Malin

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the proposed commencement date is for the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. [91014]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth

Commencement dates for the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 are as follows:

The cash recovery provisions in Part 5 of the Act came into force on 30 December 2002. Part I of the Act, which formally establishes the Assets Recovery Agency, came into force on 13 January.

The provisions of the Act relating to civil recovery, taxation of the proceeds of crime, money laundering, financial investigation powers and information gateways (the rest of Part 5 and Parts 6, 7, 8 and 10 of the Act) will come into force in February. The Agency will then become operational.

We plan that the new powers of criminal confiscation (Parts 2, 3, 4 and 9) will come into force in March, along with the provisions on enforcement in different parts of the United Kingdom in Part 11. This will leave the provisions relating to international co-operation in Part 11, which we hope to commence in May.