Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to Answer of 15 September to Question 45291, how many (a) high-street bank and (b) building society branches that were in operation in Enfield North for each of the past 10 years.

The Government recognises the continued importance of access to over-the-counter financial services. However, HM Treasury does not make direct assessments of banks’ or building societies’ branch networks.

Decisions on opening and closing branches are a commercial issue for banks and building societies, but firms are expected to engage closely with the Financial Conduct Authority to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs and consider possible alternative access arrangements.

Alternative options for access include the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows 95% of business and 99% of personal banking customers to deposit cheques, check their balance and withdraw and deposit cash at 11,500 Post Office branches in the UK.