Charles Walker
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Royal Bank of Scotland Branch Closures
Charles Walker Excerpts(2 weeks, 4 days ago)
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Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
I commend the hon. Lady for securing this debate. She is consistent, and I am here to support her. In my constituency, the Ulster Bank, which is a subsidiary of RBS, closed its Ballynahinch branch last February, and it now intends to close the neighbouring Downpatrick branch in November. Does she agree that the abdication of the duty of care to rural banks is unacceptable at a time when profits are so high? Legislation underlining that duty of care should come before this House, as the current guidelines are not providing safeguards.
Sir Charles Walker (in the Chair)
Order. Ms Brock, are you happy, as the mover of the motion in a half-hour debate, to take interventions? You do not have to.
Deidre Brock
Yes, Sir Charles. A number of people expressed interest in being here and talking about branch closures in their areas, so I have allowed for that in my timing.
I absolutely agree with the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) and I will make some points about that later. The impacts on rural areas are particularly stark and I am very much aware of them, having been part of the Scottish Affairs Committee that conducted an inquiry.
Deidre Brock
The hon. Gentleman will be more familiar than I am with the needs of those communities, but I think any proposal is worth looking at. That is certainly true of community banking for several towns, though it might depend on the distance between them. My mother-in-law lives in the highlands and has to travel 10 miles to get to her nearest bank branch. These are all things that need to be considered carefully.
I would like to give a nod to the Castle Community Bank, a fantastic community bank in my area of Leith, for the work it is doing in filling the banking gap for many people where the other banks have failed them. As a credit union, it has been a real asset to the community, supporting vulnerable people to break cycles of debt and get affordable access to loans and other financial services. Its focus is on helping people, not serving shareholders, and I am very happy to give it my thanks and my support for its efforts.
Perhaps RBS should take a leaf from its own book and remember the people it serves. Its website proudly claims that
“the bank has a history of making life easier for its customers. The bank is committed to serving Scottish communities and putting the interests of customers first.”
It is time for that commitment to be made clear in bricks and mortar, not just words.
Sir Charles Walker (in the Chair)
I thank the hon. Lady for her excellent speech. I call the Minister to respond.