Cash and Card Payments: Reduction in Availability

Baroness Hoey Excerpts

Tuesday 20th October 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Pitt-Watson (Lab)]

That is a good question. We are on top of the availability of cash through the banking system, but it is the case that acceptance of cash is voluntary, whether it is a car park, a retailer or the rest of it. That issue is under observation, rather than something on which there are direct plans. I point out that the other way that one can deal with this is to make sure that people have a way to pay by card. For example, the reduction of people who do not have bank accounts—from about 1.2 million to 900,000 over the past four years—is positive progress, but the noble Baroness makes a good point.

[Baroness Hoey (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, the noble Lord mentioned a review. Is he consulting pensioner groups across the country on this? They are particularly affected by the lack of cash and by having to use these modern devices. Can he give a commitment that no government department or institution will ever make it compulsory to use them, and that there will always be the option of using a card or cash?

[Lord Pitt-Watson (Lab)]

I have talked about some reviews. When I talked about voluntary acceptance, I meant voluntary acceptance. As I say, we have data from the British Retail Consortium, the local shop association and the Bank of England and so on about whether that acceptance is currently a problem. There is no consultation on anything that would make acceptance of cash mandatory right now. Although the pensioner groups will be involved in those areas that I have talked about where reviews are taking place, it is not the case that a review of retail acceptance is taking place right now.