Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which of the Overseas Territories currently have (a) non-public and (b) public registers of beneficial ownership.

​As agreed in an Exchanges of Notes between the UK and Overseas Territories with financial entries in April 2016, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and Gibraltar have central registers of beneficial ownership information or similarly effective systems in place. These registers are not public, but information will be accessible to UK law enforcement authorities.

Anguilla and the Turks and Caicos Islands also committed to implement arrangements set out in the Exchange of Notes. These Territories are still working to establish a central register or similarly effective arrangement. We continue to monitor progress and to offer support to both Territories.

Montserrat has committed to the establishment of a public central register and will shortly introduce new legislation for this purpose.