Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps is he taking to seek to ensure that ATM operators maintain no charge access to machines in rural areas throughout the UK.

The Government-established Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) is closely monitoring developments within ATM provision. The PSR regulates LINK, the scheme which runs the UK’s ATM network and has used its powers to hold LINK to account over LINK’s commitments to preserve the broad geographic spread of the ATM network.

Additionally, LINK has put in place specific arrangements to protect free-to-use ATMs more than 1 kilometre away from the next nearest free-to-use ATM and has also enhanced its Financial Inclusion Programme, tripling the funding available to ATMs in the most deprived areas of the UK. LINK has also announced new additional premiums to safeguard the presence of free-to-use ATMs in remote and deprived areas.