Asked by: Lord Elliott of Mickle Fell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they currently hold any Bitcoin, and if so, how much they hold; when and under what powers they accumulated it; which body or individual has custody over it; and how it is being stored.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government does not hold any Bitcoin.
The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) contains powers to deprive criminals of their money, or other property connected to criminal activity, and recover the proceeds of crime, including cryptocurrencies. As with all assets, action to seize, recover and manage crypto assets is for independent law enforcement bodies and the courts to consider.
We do not routinely publish the amount recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 by asset type. We publish annual statistics on the amount of proceeds of crime confiscated and recovered as detailed on GOV.UK Asset recovery statistics: financial years ending 2019 to 2024 - GOV.UK.