To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many legitimate interest trust data requests were (a) received and (b) responded to by HMRC following the introduction of the Register of Overseas Entities in August 2022.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many offshore company trust data requests were (a) received and (b) responded to by HMRC following the introduction of the Register of Overseas Entities in August 2022.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average response time to legitimate interest trust data requests has been since the introduction of the Register of Overseas Entities in August 2022.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average response time to offshore company trust data requests has been since the introduction of the Register of Overseas Entities in August 2022.

Since 1 September 2022, information on the beneficial ownership of trusts held by HMRC’s Trust Registration Service is accessible to organisations or persons who can demonstrate a ‘legitimate interest’ in the trust information as part of an investigation into a specified suspected instance of money laundering or terrorist financing; or where the trust holds a controlling interest in an offshore company. The Government believes that this process strikes the appropriate balance between the right of privacy and the vital public interest of assisting those investigating money laundering and terrorist financing

The trust data request process only applies to trust information held on the Trust Registration Service. The process cannot be used to obtain trust information held on the Register of Overseas Entities unless that same information is separately held on the Trust Registration Service.

Interested parties have been able to submit trust data requests to HMRC since 1 September 2022. HMRC takes data protection seriously and assesses each request to ensure that information is only released where it is appropriate to do so. Further information on how HMRC handles trust data requests can be found at https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/trust-registration-service-manual/trsm60060.