Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of appointing a representative from Northern Ireland to the Financial Inclusion Committee.

On 5 December, I convened a Financial Inclusion Committee which has been established to tackle the problems of financial exclusion. Through this committee, I will work with consumer groups and industry on the development of a Financial Inclusion Strategy.

This strategy must work for the whole of the UK. As such, I have written to my counterparts in Devolved Governments to update them on this work and extend the offer to input on an ongoing basis, both at ministerial and official level. More widely, we will be working closely with a number of organisations from across the UK, beyond the core committee, to ensure that the development of the strategy is informed by a range of perspectives and expertise.