To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the monetary value of the agreements with banks signed under the Working Capital scheme is. (291408)

I have been asked to reply.

£2 billion of guarantees have been provided to banks under the Working Capital scheme to free up regulatory capital for new lending to UK companies. As a result of action by the Government and the regulatory authorities, leading to improvements in the capital position of the UK banking system since the introduction of the WCS, the Government have been able to allocate resource provision for the WCS to other measures to support businesses, including as announced at the Budget 2009 a trade credit insurance top up scheme and a possible new letters of credit scheme in the Export Credit Guarantee Department.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which banks have signed up to the Working Capital scheme to date. (291409)

I have been asked to reply.

Guarantees have been provided to Royal Bank of Scotland PLC (RBS), National Westminster Bank PLC (NatWest), and Lloyds TSB Bank PLC and Lloyds TSB Scotland PLC (Lloyds Banking Group) under the Working Capital scheme to free up regulatory capital for new lending to UK companies. As a result of action by the Government and the regulatory authorities, leading to improvements in the capital position of the UK banking system since the introduction of the WCS, the Government have been able to allocate resource provision for the WCS to other measures to support businesses, including as announced at the Budget 2009 a trade credit insurance top up scheme and a possible new letters of credit scheme in the Export Credit Guarantee Department.