Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterparts on access to pensions held by the Mandatory Provident Fund in Hong Kong for people with British National (Overseas) status.

We are aware that individuals who have chosen to take up the British Nationals (Overseas) Visa (BN(O)) route are having difficulties in accessing their pensions held in the Hong Kong Mandatory Provident Funds (MPF).

We continue to urge the Hong Kong authorities to facilitate early drawdown of funds as is the case for other Hong Kong residents who move overseas permanently. The Minister for Indo-Pacific, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, raised this issue with the Hong Kong Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury on 18 April 2023 and pressed for a pragmatic solution. The Investment Minister, Lord Johnson, raised the matter with Hong Kong's Commercial Secretary, during his visit to Hong Kong in May 2023.