Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the change in the number of free to use ATMs between 1 January 2021 and 1 January 2022.

LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) publishes the total number of free-to-use ATMs across the UK. As of January 2022, LINK reported that there were around 41,000 free-to-use ATMs in the UK. LINK’s Monthly ATM Footprint Report also publishes information monthly on the break down by constituency.

More broadly, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) publishes data on access to cash coverage across the UK. As of the third quarter of 2021, the FCA reported that nearly 96% of the UK population are within 2km of a free-to-use cash access point.

The government recognises that the ability to access to cash remains important to millions of people across the UK and has committed to legislating to protect access to cash.

Last year, the Government held an Access to Cash Consultation on proposals for new laws to make sure people only need to travel a reasonable distance to pay in or take out cash. The Government’s proposals intend to support the continued use of cash in people’s daily lives and help to enable local businesses to continue accepting cash by ensuring they can access deposit facilities. The Government will set out next steps in due course.