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<p>The Government is committed to ensuring that individuals, regardless of their background
or income, have access to useful and affordable financial products and services. The
Equality Act 2010 protects all individuals, including Gypsies and Travellers, against
racial and other forms of discrimination.</p><p> </p><p>The Payment Accounts Regulations
2015 require the nine largest personal current account providers in the UK to offer
fee-free basic bank accounts to customers who do not have a bank account or who are
ineligible for a bank’s standard current account. The regulations also state that
when a customer applies for an account, firms must not discriminate by reason of the
customer’s place of residence, and that the conditions applicable to holding a basic
bank account must not be discriminatory.</p><p> </p><p>In order to open a basic bank
account, firms will need to verify their customers’ identities, which generally includes
verifying their addresses. While the way in which firms choose to do this is not stipulated
in law or by the regulator, firms are assisted in making such policies through industry
produced guidance notes. For the financial institutions, these are the Joint Money
Laundering Steering Group (JMLSG) guidance notes.</p><p> </p><p>The JMLSG guidance
notes acknowledge that if Travellers are not able to produce standard identification
evidence, and if verification of address is necessary, a check with the local authority,
which has to register travellers’ sites, may sometimes be helpful.</p><p> </p><p>More
widely, the Government has also committed to establish a Financial Inclusion Policy
Forum, which will provide leadership and ensure collaboration across government and
with the sector in tackling financial exclusion.</p><p> </p>
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