Release of Venezuela's gold reserves held at the Bank of England

That this House expresses its deepest condolences to the people of Venezuela following the devastating earthquake that has caused widespread loss of life and destruction, with reports of over 1,000 deaths, thousands more injured and displaced, and many tens of thousands of people missing; welcomes the Government's initial provision of humanitarian assistance to Venezuela, including the deployment of specialist search and rescue personnel; is concerned that Venezuela's gold reserves, held at the Bank of England and now reportedly worth around £3 billion, remain inaccessible to address the catastrophic human impact of the earthquake and to support reconstruction because of an ongoing political dispute over which Venezuelan representatives the UK recognises as the country's legitimate government; believes that, in the face of such an overwhelming catastrophe, every available resource should be directed towards humanitarian relief, reconstruction and the recovery of affected communities; and therefore calls on the Government to take urgent steps to facilitate the release of Venezuela's gold reserves held at the Bank of England so that they can be used to support humanitarian relief and the reconstruction of areas devastated by the earthquake.