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Written question asked by Viscount Waverley (Crossbench) on Thursday, 3 November 2016, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 17 November 2016. It was answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative) on Wednesday, 16 November 2016 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Iran: Embassies

Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the inability of the Iranian embassy in the UK to open a UK bank account, what assessment they have made of the extent to which the operations of that embassy, including its consular activities, are constrained.

Answer

The inability of the Iranian Embassy in the UK to open a UK bank account remains a source of concern and one that the Government has been working closely with the banking sector to help the Iranian Embassy to resolve.

However, it is for banks to decide which accounts to accept based on their own risk assessment and taking into account the costs of managing those risks.

We are nevertheless committed to helping the Iranian Embassy resolve this issue and will continue to help them to explore all viable options.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL3001
Session
2016-17
Subjects
Bank services Iran Embassies
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk