Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that free to use automated teller machines are available throughout the country.

The management and deployment of ATMs is a commercial matter for ATM market participants, however the Government recognises that widespread access to cash remains extremely important to the day-to-day lives of many consumers and businesses in the UK. That is why the Government is engaging, and will continue to engage, with the regulators and industry on this important topic.

The Government-established Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) is closely monitoring developments in 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.

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. More recently, LINK has committed to protecting free access to cash on high streets – where there is a cluster of five or more retailers – that don’t have a free-to-use ATM or a Post Office counter within 1 kilometre.

In addition, the Government has invested heavily in maintaining a stable network of Post Office branches, with investment of around £2 billion since 2010. Currently, 99% of personal customers and 95% of small business customers can carry out their everyday banking locally at one of the Post Office’s 11,500 branches.