Bank of England Act 1998

[F1 9C Objectives of the Financial Policy Committee U.K.

(1) The Financial Policy Committee is to exercise its functions with a view to—

(a) contributing to the achievement by the Bank of the Financial Stability Objective, and

(b) subject to that, supporting the economic policy of Her Majesty's Government, including its objectives for growth and employment.

(2) The responsibility of the Committee in relation to the achievement by the Bank of the Financial Stability Objective relates primarily to the identification of, monitoring of, and taking of action to remove or reduce, systemic risks with a view to protecting and enhancing the resilience of the UK financial system.

(3) Those systemic risks include, in particular—

(a) systemic risks attributable to structural features of financial markets, such as connections between financial institutions,

(b) systemic risks attributable to the distribution of risk within the financial sector, and

(c) unsustainable levels of leverage, debt or credit growth.

(4) Subsections (1)(a) and (2) do not require or authorise the Committee to exercise its functions in a way that would in its opinion be likely to have a significant adverse effect on the capacity of the financial sector to contribute to the growth of the UK economy in the medium or long term.

(5) In this Part “ systemic risk ” means a risk to the stability of the UK financial system as a whole or of a significant part of that system.

(6) For the purposes of subsection (5) it is immaterial whether the risk arises in the United Kingdom or elsewhere.

(7) In subsection (3)(c)—

• “ credit growth ” means the growth in lending by the financial sector to individuals in the United Kingdom and businesses carried on in the United Kingdom;

• “ debt ” means debt owed to the financial sector by individuals in the United Kingdom and businesses carried on in the United Kingdom;

• “ leverage ” means the leverage of the financial sector in the United Kingdom. ]

Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. 1A inserted (24.1.2013 for the insertion of ss. 9I(2), 9L, 9N for specified purposes and for the insertion of s. 9ZA, 19.2.2013 for the insertion of s. 9B for specified purposes, 1.4.2013 in so far as not already in force) by Financial Services Act 2012 (c. 21), ss. 4(1), 122(3) (with Sch. 20); S.I. 2013/113, art. 2(1)(b)(c)(2), Sch. Pts. 2, 3, 4; S.I. 2013/423, art. 3, Sch.