Mr Hussain has given an undertaking to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy which prevents him from becoming directly or indirectly involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company for seven years from 18 July 2017.

Mr Hussain was the director of Hussain Bros Ltd trading as Bengal Palace, a restaurant, and on 13 December 2013, Home Office Immigration Enforcement Officers discovered that they were employing three workers who were not eligible to work in the UK.

The company went into liquidation on 5 November 2015 owing £821,733 to creditors, of which £15,000 was outstanding of the £15,000 penalty imposed by the Home Office Immigration and Enforcement for employing three illegal workers.

The unfit conduct that led to Mr Hussain giving the Undertaking was that he failed to ensure that Hussain Bros Ltd complied with its obligations as an employer under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.

Commenting on the disqualification, Martin Gitner, Deputy Head of Investigations with the Insolvency Service said:

Illegal workers are not protected under employment law, and as well as cheating legitimate job seekers out of employment opportunities these employers defraud the tax payer and undercut honest competitors.

The Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, makes employers responsible for preventing illegal workers in the UK. To comply with the law, a company must check and be able to prove documents have been checked prior to recruitment that show a person is entitled to work.

The public has a right to expect that those who break the law will face the consequences and this should serve as a warning to other directors tempted to take on illegal staff.

Notes to editors

Mr Mohammed Eleas Hussain’s, date of birth is January 1959 and he resides in Seaford.

Hussain Bros Limited (CRO No. 07371289) was incorporated on 9 September 2010. Its registered office was Church Street, Seaford, East Sussex. BN25 1LD. The company traded as Bengal Palace Restaurant.

Mr Hussain was a director from 9 September 2010 to Liquidation. The company went into creditors voluntary liquidation on 9 November 2015 with an estimated deficiency of £821,733.

On 27 June 2017, the Secretary of State accepted a Disqualification Undertaking from Mr Hussain, effective from 18 July 2017, for a period of 7 years.

The matters of unfitness, which Mr Hussain did not dispute in his Disqualification Undertaking, were that:

I failed to ensure that Hussain Bros Ltd trading as Bengal Palace (“HBL”) complied with its statutory obligations under The Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 to ensure that relevant immigration checks were completed and copy documents retained, resulting in the employment of at least three illegal workers.

On 13 December 2013, the Home Office attended the trading premises of HBL and it was found to be employing at least three illegal workers.

On 06 February 2014, the Home Office issued HBL with a Notification of Liability for a Civil Penalty of £15,000 in respect of these three illegal workers.

This penalty was not paid by the due date of 10 March 1014 and the Home Office is a creditor in the liquidation proceedings for £15,000.

Between 10 March 214 and the date of liquidation 5 November 2015, no payments were made in respect of this penalty.

As the sole director of HBL, I was responsible for ensuring that HBL complied with all relevant legislation, including legislation relating to the employment of persons eligible to work.

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, an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures.

BEIS’ mission is to build a dynamic and competitive UK economy that works for all, in particular by creating the conditions for business success and promoting an open global economy. The Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team contributes to this aim by taking action to deter fraud and to regulate the market. They investigate and prosecute a range of offences, primarily relating to personal or company insolvencies. The agency also authorises and regulates the insolvency profession, 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.

Further information about the work of the Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team is available

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7674 6910 or 020 7596 6187

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

SMEs make up almost three quarters of the total number of suppliers on Crown Commercial Service’s (CCS) new National Fuels framework, expected to be worth around £850 million.

The framework supports central government and the wider public sector to procure heating oil and fuel for motor vehicles as well as marine and aviation fuel, Liquid Petroleum Gas, solid fuel, biomass and lubricants and greases.

The new framework has 34 suppliers, with 24 (71%) of them SMEs. It is expected to save public sector bodies £5.3m over 4 years.

SMEs awarded places on the framework are based across the UK, including Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, the North West of England, London, Leicestershire and Hampshire.

Sam Ulyatt, Strategic Category Commercial Director said:

CCS is excited to announce a new framework for the whole UK public sector that aligns policy and delivery and truly delivers value.

How it works

In 2016/7 over 200 million litres of fuel worth £169 million was procured through the previous Liquid Fuels framework.

The new agreement has a wider scope with more fuel types and extra, supporting services on offer for the first time.

Lotting Structure

• Lot 1 Liquid Fuels – subdivided into 14 regional lot groups.
• Lot 2 Liquified Gas
• Lot 3 Solid Fuel and Biomass
• Lot 4 Greases, Lubricants and Antifreeze
• Lot 5 Associated Products and Services

Michael O’Toole, 56 of Sheffield and Mark Rice, 39 of Sheffield both provided an eight year disqualification undertaking to the Secretary of State in respect of their conduct. Mr O’Toole’s disqualification commenced on 6 July 2017 and Mr Rice’s ban began on 28 June 2017.

An Insolvency Service investigation found invoices totaling £760,000 had been factored, of which only one, of £45,000, was found to be a true invoice.

Commenting on the disqualification, Martin Gitner, Deputy Chief Investigator of Insolvent Investigations, Midlands & West at the Insolvency Service, said:

The directors failed to run their business in accordance with the terms set out in its agreement with the invoice discount facility provider.

The company obtained money to which it was not entitled by submitting details of sales invoices which did not exist and this caused the provider to incur financial losses.

Using false documents is contrary to the conduct expected of a company director and the Insolvency Service has strong enforcement powers which we will not hesitate to use to remove dishonest or reckless directors from operating a business in an environment with the benefit of limited liability.

Notes to editors

Plast-Tec Plastering Systems Limited (CRO No. 06402826). The company’s registered office was at Neepsend Triangle Business Park, Burton Road, South Yorkshire, S3 8BW.

Mr O’Toole’s date of birth is 17 June 1961 and he resides in Sheffield. He was appointed as a director on 1 December 2013.

Mr Rice’s date of birth is 27 September 1977 and he resides in Sheffield. He was a director from incorporation on 18 October 2007.

The matters of unfitness, which Mr O’Toole did not dispute in the Disqualification Undertaking, were that:

Between December 2015 and April 2016, I caused Plast-Tec Plastering Systems Limited (PTPS) to factor false invoices totalling at least £715,000 to Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance..

The matters of unfitness, which Mr O’Toole did not dispute in the Disqualification Undertaking, were that:

Between December 2015 and April 2016, I caused Plast-Tec Plastering Systems Limited (PTPS) to factor false invoices totalling at least £715,000 to Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance.

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, an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures. Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

BEIS’ mission is to build a dynamic and competitive UK economy that works for all, in particular by creating the conditions for business success and promoting an open global economy. The Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team contributes to this aim by taking action to deter fraud and to regulate the market. They investigate and prosecute a range of offences, primarily relating to personal or company insolvencies.

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7674 6910 or 020 7596 6187

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on: * Twitter * LinkedIn * YouTube

Two Flood Alleviation Schemes (FASs) in Louth and Horncastle which collectively reduce flood risk to over 350 properties have been formally opened on 28 July, following successful completion of the projects.

Construction on the £6.5m Louth scheme and the £8.1m Horncastle scheme started in summer 2015, and were finalised this month. The two projects were delivered in a partnership of the Environment Agency, Lincolnshire County Council, East Lindsey District Council, Anglian Water and the Lindsey Marsh and Witham Third Internal Drainage Boards. Louth and Horncastle Town Councils will fund ongoing maintenance on the schemes. The development of the two schemes was led by the Environment Agency, with construction being carried out by its contractors.

Communities in Louth and Horncastle were significantly affected by the floods of summer 2007, when over 200 properties in the area were flooded. Close partnership working has since helped fund and made the two Flood Alleviation Schemes possible.

The Horncastle Flood Alleviation Scheme consists of a single flood storage reservoir on the River Bain, upstream of the town of Horncastle. As part of this scheme, a number of residents whose homes are at risk of flooding from the river Waring were offered property-level flood protection, such as air brick covers and flood doors. The Louth Flood Alleviation Scheme consists of a flood storage reservoir on the Northern branch of the River Lud, and one on the Southern branch of the river.

In addition to reducing flood risk to hundreds of properties in Louth and Horncastle, the two schemes also deliver benefits to the environment. In Horncastle, partners have created a large lake and wetland area which will provide a habitat for water voles. At the reservoirs in Louth, additional water vole habitat will also be created.

Floods Minister Thérèse Coffey said:

These flood schemes are fantastic news for Lincolnshire, giving hundreds of people in Louth and Horncastle precious peace of mind. And there is more development to come across the county, with £160 million planned investment here over the next four years to better protect around 30,000 homes.

Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency, said:

I am delighted that our partnership work with the community and local authorities in Louth and Horncastle will reduce flood risk to over 350 properties and support wildlife.

People here understand the devastating impact of flooding and the tenth anniversary of the 2007 floods is a timely reminder of the real threat posed by severe weather. I ask everyone to check their flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and look for advice about flooding on GOV.uk.

Councillor Colin Davie, Executive Member for Economy and Place at Lincolnshire County Council, said:

One of the council’s top priorities is protecting our residents from flooding. That’s why we’re working hard with our partners to do everything we can to reduce the risk to Lincolnshire homes. The opening of these new defences is a testament to the hard work of all involved, and will make a significant difference to the lives of people living in these communities. I’m delighted we’ve been able to make this happen.

Cllr Eddy Poll, Executive Member for Environmental Management at Lincolnshire County Council and Chairman of the Anglian Northern Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, said:

We all know the kind of devastation flooding can cause within a community – that’s why projects like this are so vital. These new defences will protect hundreds of local families from the misery and disruption that flooding brings. It’s impossible to prevent flooding entirely, but we’ll continue to work with our partners to ensure that local communities are as well-defended and well-prepared as possible.

The Leader of the East Lindsey District Council, Councillor Craig Leyland said:

This is an important milestone in the work of the Environment Agency jointly with other authorities and we have been extremely pleased to have contributed £1million to these essential schemes to help reduce the risk of flooding to our residents and businesses. After the devastating flooding that we have seen in 2007, we hope that these schemes will give residents greater peace of mind and protection from the risk and threat of flooding in the future.

The Mayor of Louth, Councillor Pauline Watson said:

Louth is celebrating the increased flood protection for the town which is the culmination of ten years of heartfelt campaigning and unprecedented partnership working, both between statutory bodies and ordinary townsfolk.