Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason the UK has not opted into EU Directive 2018/1673 on combating money laundering by criminal law.

As set out in the Eighth Annual Report to Parliament on the Application of Protocols 19 and 21 to the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the Union (TFEU) in Relation to EU Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Matters (1 December 2016 – 30 November 2017) (Cm 9580), the UK Government decided not to opt into the EU Directive on combating money laundering by criminal law as our domestic legislation is already largely compliant with the Directive’s measures, and in relation to the offences and sentences set out in the Directive, the UK already goes much further. Therefore, it was not considered that opting in would enhance the UK’s approach to tackling money laundering.