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1691174

registered interest
date	22/02/2024
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Bank Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he has taken to work with stakeholders to help ensure that people in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency can access physical banking facilities in their local area.
tabling member constituency	Romford
tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
uin	15238
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2024 answer text <p>The Government believes that all customers, wherever they live, should have appropriate access to banking and cash services, and is monitoring this issue closely.</p><p>Though the closure of bank or building society branches are commercial decisions, it is imperative that firms recognise the needs of all their customers, including those who need to use in-person services.</p><p>Guidance from the FCA sets out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to reduce their physical branches or the number of free-to-use ATMs. The FCA’s guidance is clear that firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs, and put in place alternatives, where this is reasonable.</p><p>UK customers can access banking services through a number of different channels. This includes in branches, Post Offices or Banking Hubs, as well as via telephone banking and through digital means such as mobile or online banking.</p><p>The Post Office allows personal and business customers to carry out everyday banking services at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK. Banking Hubs are an initiative which enable customers of participating banks to access cash and banking services in shared facilities. Over 100 Banking Hubs have been announced so far, and the Government hopes to see these Hubs open as soon as possible.</p> answering member constituency Hitchin and Harpenden answering member printed Bim Afolami question first answered 28/02/2024 11:26:11 answering member 4639 label Biography information for Bim Afolami
tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1674091

registered interest
date	29/11/2023
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Bank Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on (a) the role of face-to-face banking services and (b) steps being taken to ensure that such services remain available.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	4519
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/12/2023 answer text <p>Decisions on opening and closing branches are taken by the management team of each bank on a commercial basis.</p><p> </p><p>Nonetheless, the Government believes that the impact of branch closures should be mitigated where possible so that all customers, wherever they live, continue to have access to appropriate banking services.</p><p> </p><p>The Government supports industry working together to provide alternative banking and cash services, such as Banking Hubs. To date, industry has committed to delivering new shared Banking Hubs in over 90 communities. Further alternative options to access everyday banking services can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking and via the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows 99% of personal banking and 95% of business customers to deposit cheques, check their balance and withdraw and deposit cash at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Guidance from the Financial Conduct Authority also sets out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to close their branches. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of a planned closure on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs, particularly for customers in vulnerable circumstances, and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This seeks to ensure the implementation of closure decisions is done in a way that treats customers fairly. The Consumer Duty also requires that firms deliver “good outcomes” for customers.</p> answering member constituency Hitchin and Harpenden answering member printed Bim Afolami grouped question UIN 4520 question first answered 06/12/2023 09:06:58 answering member 4639 label Biography information for Bim Afolami
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1670124

registered interest
date	14/11/2023
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Bank Services
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to encourage high street banks to work together to establish banking hubs to protect access to cash.
tabling member printed	Baroness O'Neill of Bexley
uin	HL304
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2023 answer text <p>The government recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those who may be in vulnerable groups.</p><p> </p><p>The government legislated through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 to establish a new legislative framework to protect access to cash. This establishes the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash and provides it with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities.</p><p> </p><p>In the context of this legislation, the financial services sector is working together to develop and provide shared services, such as Banking Hubs. While Banking Hubs are a commercial initiative, the government encourages a swift rollout of these services. Cash Access UK, which delivers these services on behalf of participating retail banks, expects to deliver Banking Hub services in 30 communities by the end of the year, and open at least a further 60 Hubs in 2024.</p> answering member printed Baroness Vere of Norbiton question first answered 27/11/2023 12:16:08 answering member 4580 label Biography information for Baroness Vere of Norbiton
tabling member	4967 label Biography information for Baroness O'Neill of Bexley

1659462

registered interest
date	11/09/2023
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Bank Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an estimate of the number of people who do not have access to a bank account.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	198596
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2023 answer text <p>The Financial Conduct Authority estimates that 1.1 million of UK adults (2.1%) were ‘unbanked’ in May 2022 – down from 1.3 million UK adults (2.5%) in 2017.</p><p> </p><p>The government is committed to improving access to financial services and recognises that access to a transactional bank account is key to enabling people to manage their money on a day-to-day basis effectively, securely and confidently. That is why the Payment Account Regulations 2015 require the largest UK banking providers to provide fee-free Basic Bank Accounts to anyone who doesn’t already have a current account. As of 30 June 2022 there were 7,361,707 basic bank accounts open in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Chancellor has written to the FCA to request an urgent review into the matter of ‘de-banking’ more broadly. The FCA have agreed to undertake this review, and to share the evidence and findings with the Treasury. This will help inform whether further action is necessary to ensure nobody is being unfairly denied banking facilities.</p> answering member constituency Arundel and South Downs answering member printed Andrew Griffith question first answered 18/09/2023 15:46:05 answering member 4874 label Biography information for Andrew Griffith
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1658558

registered interest
date	06/09/2023
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Bank Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on steps to help ensure local communities have access to essential in-person banking services.
tabling member constituency	Hampstead and Kilburn
tabling member printed	Tulip Siddiq
uin	198106
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2023 answer text <p>Treasury Ministers and officials regularly meet with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to discuss a variety of policy matters</p><p> </p><p>The government believes that all customers, wherever they live, should have appropriate access to banking and cash services.</p><p> </p><p>Decisions on opening and closing branches are a commercial issue. However, the FCA’s guidance sets out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to reduce their physical branches or the number of free-to-use ATMs. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on the everyday banking and cash access needs of their customers and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This ensures that the implementation of closure decisions is undertaken in a way that treats customers fairly.</p><p> </p><p>Alternative options for access to banking can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking, and the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows 99% of personal banking and 95% of business banking customers to deposit cheques, check their balance and withdraw and deposit cash at 11,500 Post Office branches in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>New shared Banking Hubs are also being introduced, providing cash and basic banking services and dedicated space where community bankers from major banks can meet customers of that bank. Decisions regarding the operation and location of Banking Hubs are taken by the parties involved. Following successful pilots Cash Access UK Ltd is rolling out shared Banking Hubs and other new shared facilities in communities across the UK. To date, industry has committed to deliver Banking Hubs in 80 locations. Further information on Banking Hubs is available at: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cashaccess.co.uk%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7CLewis.Walker%40hmtreasury.gov.uk%7C6e6cd2b8d31647d1cec408dbad65e2ca%7Ced1644c505e049e6bc39fcf7ac51c18c%7C0%7C0%7C638294425322042209%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=aJyyiQpYeG%2FGcSEdMMHI0KPKZUqykDGP2Vgs0VKgD9M%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.cashaccess.co.uk/</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Arundel and South Downs answering member printed Andrew Griffith grouped question UIN 198105 question first answered 12/09/2023 10:33:20 answering member 4874 label Biography information for Andrew Griffith
tabling member	4518 label Biography information for Tulip Siddiq

1651071

registered interest
date	06/07/2023
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Bank Services
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent banks from closing, or refusing to open, accounts for any reason other than unlawful activity.
tabling member printed	Lord Weir of Ballyholme
uin	HL9163
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2023 answer text <p>The Government consulted specifically on the issue of contract termination and freedom of expression for payment service providers as part of its review of the relevant regulations – the Payment Services Regulations 2017 – and is currently reviewing responses to determine if legislative change is needed.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to bringing a Written Ministerial Statement before the House to report on the Government’s findings on this matter, and to set out if any changes to regulation are necessary, ahead of its formal response to the Review.</p><p> </p><p>Concerning closures relating to Political Exposed Persons (PEPs) specifically, the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 commits the FCA to carry out a review into financial institutions’ adherence to the FCA’s guidance on PEPs. This guidance is clear that financial institutions should not decline or close a business relationship with an individual solely on the basis that they are a PEP.</p><p> </p><p>I have written to the FCA to set out the Government’s expectations for this review and have made clear that the FCA must assess the extent to which firms are taking a blanket approach and refusing all PEP customers.</p><p> </p><p>I have also additionally written to underline the importance of the FCA’s review and set out the Government’s expectation that the FCA will prioritise this review over the coming months.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Penn question first answered 18/07/2023 11:09:24 answering member 4726 label Biography information for Baroness Penn
tabling member	4970 label Biography information for Lord Weir of Ballyholme

1649606

registered interest
date	03/07/2023
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Bank Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will hold discussions with the Financial Conduct Authority on levels of transparency in financial institutions over decisions to close (a) personal and (b) business accounts.
tabling member constituency	East Londonderry
tabling member printed	Mr Gregory Campbell
uin	192020
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2023 answer text <p>The Government recognises the importance of transparency with regards to consumers and businesses’ access to financial services products. The Government has recently consulted on the adequacy of the existing balance of rights and obligations between payment service users and providers in relation to users’ contracts and rules on termination, as part of its review of the relevant regulations – the Payment Services Regulations 2017. The Government is currently reviewing responses to determine if the legislative change is warranted, and will engage the Financial Conduct Authority as the competent authority where appropriate, on the basis of these findings. The Government is committed to bringing a Written Ministerial Statement before the House to report on the Government’s findings on this matter, and to set out if any changes to regulation are necessary, ahead of its formal response to the Review.</p> answering member constituency Arundel and South Downs answering member printed Andrew Griffith question first answered 06/07/2023 15:01:05 answering member 4874 label Biography information for Andrew Griffith
tabling member	1409 label Biography information for Mr Gregory Campbell

1612828

registered interest
date	20/04/2023
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Bank Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of access to (a) cash and (b) banking services in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England; and what steps he is taking to ensure adequate access to (i) cash and (ii) banking services in those areas in the next five years.
tabling member constituency	Coventry North East
tabling member printed	Colleen Fletcher
uin	181987
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2023 answer text <p>The way consumers and businesses interact with their banks and make payments is changing, bringing significant benefits to those who choose to opt for the convenience, security, and speed of digital services.</p><p> </p><p>Nonetheless, the government recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, and is currently legislating to protect access to cash as part of the Financial Services and Markets Bill. The Bill will establish the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash and provide it with appropriate powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of withdrawal and deposit facilities.</p><p> </p><p>Based on data published by LINK for February 2023, there are 31,873 free-to-use ATMs in England, including 3,431 in the West Midlands and 72</p><p>in the constituency of Coventry, North East. Further information is available at: <a href="https://www.link.co.uk/initiatives/financial-inclusion-monthly-report/" target="_blank">https://www.link.co.uk/initiatives/financial-inclusion-monthly-report/</a></p><p> </p><p>The government also believes that everyone, wherever they live, should have appropriate access to banking services.</p><p> </p><p>Decisions on opening and closing branches, and the provision of in-person services, are a commercial matter for banks and building societies. However, guidance from the FCA sets out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to reduce their physical branches or the number of free-to-use ATMs. The FCA expects firms to put in place alternatives, where this is reasonable, to ensure customer needs are met. Where firms fall short of expectations, the FCA may ask for closures to be paused or other options to be put in place.</p> answering member constituency Arundel and South Downs answering member printed Andrew Griffith question first answered 25/04/2023 14:39:44 answering member 4874 label Biography information for Andrew Griffith
tabling member	4378 label Biography information for Colleen Fletcher

1606862

registered interest
date	23/03/2023
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Bank Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) shared banking hubs and (b) other community banking services on the ability of people to access banking services.
tabling member constituency	Cynon Valley
tabling member printed	Beth Winter
uin	172528
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/03/2023 answer text <p>The Government believes that all customers, wherever they live, should have appropriate access to banking services. Nonetheless, decisions on opening and closing branches are a commercial issue for banks and building societies. The Government does not intervene in these decisions or make direct assessments of these branch networks.</p><p> </p><p>Guidance from the Financial Conduct Authority sets out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to reduce their physical branches or the number of free-to-use ATMs. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on the everyday banking and cash access needs of their customers and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This ensures that the implementation of closure decisions is undertaken in a way that treats customers fairly.</p><p /><p>Regarding the ATM network specifically, LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator.</p><p> </p><p>LINK publishes the total number of free-to-use and pay-to-use ATMs across the UK on a regular basis. Further information is available on LINK’s website: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.link.co.uk%2F&amp;data=05%7C01%7CCaitlin.Naylor%40hmtreasury.gov.uk%7C9594dcc9dba942df10a608db2c4fcb2e%7Ced1644c505e049e6bc39fcf7ac51c18c%7C0%7C0%7C638152493436287470%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=9ECPJzyEjulep1ntwl097xwz51OQV8q5TabkBplVTFM%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.link.co.uk/</a></p><p> </p><p>Alternative options for access can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking, and the Post Office. New shared banking hubs are also being introduced, providing basic banking services and dedicated space where community bankers from major banks can meet customers of that bank.</p> answering member constituency Arundel and South Downs answering member printed Andrew Griffith grouped question UIN 172526 172527 question first answered 29/03/2023 10:42:25 answering member 4874 label Biography information for Andrew Griffith
tabling member	4809 label Biography information for Beth Winter

1605454

registered interest
date	20/03/2023
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Bank Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a minimum level of access to essential in-person banking services.
tabling member constituency	Ealing Central and Acton
tabling member printed	Dr Rupa Huq
uin	169362
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2023 answer text <p>The way consumers and businesses interact with their banking and make payments continues to develop at pace, bringing significant benefits to those who choose to opt for the convenience, security, and speed of digital services.</p><p> </p><p>In recognition that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, the government is currently taking legislation through Parliament as part of the Financial Services and Markets Bill to protect access to cash. The Bill will establish the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash and provide it with appropriate powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of withdrawal and deposit facilities. These powers will allow the FCA to have regard to factors it considers appropriate, which could include cost for users.</p><p> </p><p>Regarding in-person banking services, the government believes that everyone, wherever they live, should have appropriate access to banking services. However, decisions on opening and closing branches, and the provision of in-person services, are a commercial issue for banks and building societies.</p><p> </p><p>Guidance from the FCA sets out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to reduce their physical branches or the number of free-to-use ATMs. The guidance has recently been strengthened and clearly expects firms to put in place alternatives, where this is reasonable, to ensure customer needs are met. Where firms fall short of expectations, the FCA may ask for closures to be paused or other options to be put in place.</p><p> </p><p>Alternative options to access cash and in-person banking services can be via the Post Office and other industry initiatives including cash pods, mobile banking vans and shared banking hubs. The Post Office Banking Framework allows 99% of personal banking and 95% of business customers to deposit cheques, check their balance and withdraw and deposit cash at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK. Meanwhile, industry has committed to shared banking hubs in over 40 locations across the UK to date.</p> answering member constituency Arundel and South Downs answering member printed Andrew Griffith grouped question UIN 169363 question first answered 24/03/2023 08:14:57 answering member 4874 label Biography information for Andrew Griffith
tabling member	4511 label Biography information for Dr Rupa Huq