Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in addressing the findings of the report by the Office for Professional Body AML Supervision (OPBAS) Anti-Money Laundering Supervision by the Legal and Accountancy Professional Body Supervisors: Themes from the 2018 OPBAS anti-money laundering supervisory assessments; and what areas they have identified as key for OPBAS’s supervisory plans for 2019.

In response to the recommendation from the Treasury Select Committee following its recent Inquiry into Economic Crime, HM Treasury will publish a detailed consideration of the process for responding to a recommendation from the Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision (OPBAS) for the removal of a professional body’s status as an anti-money laundering (AML) supervisor, including management of changes in supervisory responsibilities, by September 2019. The next steps in strengthening the UK’s approach to AML supervision will be set out more fully through an Economic Crime Plan, which is due to be published in July 2019.

This question has also been passed on to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), within which OPBAS is housed. The FCA will reply directly to Baroness Stern by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.