Face-to-face Banking Services

Lord Dodds of Duncairn Excerpts

Thursday 18th June 2026 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Dodds of Duncairn]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure communities have access to face-to-face banking services.

[Lord Dodds of Duncairn (DUP)]

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper. In so doing, I am sure the whole House will want to join me in wishing Garter King of Arms, this being his last Introduction, a very happy retirement and all best wishes.

[Noble Lords]

Hear, hear.

[Lord in Waiting/Government Whip (Lord Wilson of Sedgefield) (Lab)]

The Government are committed to ensuring that people who need face-to-face banking can continue to access essential services. Therefore, the Government have commissioned an independent review into access to banking services to assess whether the change in branches is causing detriment, and to whom. The Financial Services and Markets Bill also includes a power to enable the Government to act, if necessary, to protect access to banking services should evidence from the review support intervention.

[Lord Dodds of Duncairn (DUP)]

My Lords, I welcome the Minister’s reply, as well as the Government’s Access to Banking Services review and the powers they have committed to taking through the Financial Services and Markets Bill. Everybody knows the negative impacts that the denial of face-to-face banking has on communities, small businesses and vulnerable people, and especially on many elderly people, blind people and those who cannot and do not use online banking. People in this country bailed out the banks at a critical time and are looking to the Government to ensure that the banks are there for them at their point of need. As the Government look towards the review at the end of this year, will they consider taking greater statutory powers to safeguard in-person banking face to face, as they have done with protecting access to cash? Will they also continue to encourage and facilitate the rollout of shared banking hubs—there are over 230 now across the country—which are very important in tackling this issue?

[Lord Wilson of Sedgefield (Lab)]

I thank the noble Lord for that question. We must take into consideration that 93% of adults now use online banking, but the Government still take access to face-to-face banking seriously. We have set a target of 350 banking hubs across the country through this Parliament, and 239 are already operational—including seven in Northern Ireland—with more in the pipeline. The figure of 350 is not a ceiling, and there is the potential for more to open, including in Northern Ireland. The Access to Banking Services review is currently in consultation, is open to the public and, I understand, is very popular. The consultation is attracting a lot of attention, and I therefore encourage the noble Lord to send comments to the review via the Government’s website. They would love to hear from him and, in fact, from every other noble Lord.