Asked by: Lara Bird (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to take steps to adopt section 48 of the EU Consumer Credit Directive in the UK.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has no plans to adopt section 48 of the EU Consumer Credit Directive 2023/2225 in the UK.
Insurers make commercial decisions about the terms on which they offer cover following an assessment of the relevant risks including, where appropriate, a customer's medical history. The Government does not generally intervene in these commercial underwriting decisions.
The Equality Act 2010 generally prohibits discrimination based on certain personal characteristics. However, the law accepts that some exceptions apply for insurance, including relating to age and disability. The Act stipulates an insurance provider cannot refuse to cover potential consumers or charge more for insurance as a result of these characteristics, unless they base their risk assessment on relevant information from a reliable source and (in the case of the disability exception) it is reasonable for the insurer to refuse cover or charge more.
Asked by: Lara Bird (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the definition of urban used in the Access to Banking Services Review includes feed-in rural areas.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to ensuring that people who need in-person banking can continue to access essential services.
That is why the Government commissioned an independent Review into Access to Banking Services, to assess whether changes to access to in-person banking services are causing consumer detriment, the scale of any detriment, and who and where it affects. The Review is considering these questions across the whole of the UK, including in rural and urban communities. It is not based on a specific definition of rural or urban areas.
The Chair of the Review will provide a report and recommendations to the Government in October 2026 and the Government will publish the report in due course.
Asked by: Lara Bird (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what date his Department plans to publish the Access to Banking Services Review.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to ensuring that people who need in-person banking can continue to access essential services.
That is why the Government commissioned an independent Review into Access to Banking Services, to assess whether changes to access to in-person banking services are causing consumer detriment, the scale of any detriment, and who and where it affects. The Review is considering these questions across the whole of the UK, including in rural and urban communities. It is not based on a specific definition of rural or urban areas.
The Chair of the Review will provide a report and recommendations to the Government in October 2026 and the Government will publish the report in due course.