Istanbul Convention and Tax Treaties PMBs

Unfortunately, owing to prior commitments, I was unable to attend the Second Reading of the Private Members Bill on 16 December, but I know the Government has carefully considered the Bill and supports its key principles, which place a duty on the Government to take all reasonable steps to become compliant with the convention. 
 
This Government remains committed, not only to tackling violence against women and girls, but also to ratifying the Istanbul Convention. As you will be aware, the previous Government signed the Convention in June 2012, and in most respects, the measures already in place in the UK to protect women and girls from violence comply with or go further than the Convention requires.
 
However, further amendments to domestic law, to take extra-territorial jurisdiction over a range of offences, are necessary before the Convention can be ratified. Nevertheless, I have been assured that the Government will seek to legislate when the approach to implementing the extra-territorial jurisdiction requirements in England and Wales is agreed and Parliamentary time allows.
 
With regards to tax treaties, I know the Government remain committed to tackling poverty in developing countries and it is vital to help countries build capacity and move beyond the need for aid.  Tax treaties enable countries to achieve that objective by helping to encourage the stable environment that can pave the way for sustainable economic growth and facilitate revenue collection.
 
The Government are helping developing countries strengthen their economies and reduce their reliance on aid in a range of ways.  As you may be aware, HMRC has set up a specialist tax capacity-building unit, which deploys staff to developing countries to provide technical tax expertise.  Bilateral tax treaties can play a part, and treaties are important in encouraging private sector activity in a partner country.  We currently have about 130 treaties with countries across the globe, including several with developing countries, to support and sustain cross-border trade and investment by tackling double taxation and clamping down on cross-border avoidance and evasion.