Oral Answers to Questions
Imogen Walker Excerpts(1 week, 6 days ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Watch Debate Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
James Murray
We are providing a 20% cut in business rates for pubs in England. I urge the Scottish Government to do the same for Scottish pubs.
Imogen Walker (Hamilton and Clyde Valley) (Lab)
When the Bank of Scotland closed its Larkhall branch, it left the town with no high street bank. It is a problem not only for Larkhall but for nearby villages including Ashgill and Netherburn. I am grateful to Treasury Ministers for engaging with me on this issue over the last few months. What can the Government do to support towns like Larkhall and protect face-to-face banking services in rural communities?
Lucy Rigby
I want to be really clear about this: people who need in-person banking must be able to access essential services, including those in rural communities. That is exactly why I commissioned the independent review on access to banking services, which will gather data about current access to banking services. It is the Government’s intention for there to be a power in the Financial Services and Markets Bill to allow the Government to act on that review.