Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of shops refusing to accept cash as payment insisting instead on card payment; and whether they plan to take steps to protect access to and the use of cash.

The Government recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK to pay for essential goods and services. It is committed to protecting access to cash for individuals and businesses.

The decision to accept or decline a form of payment is a commercial one and, as such, the Government’s position on cash acceptance is that it is primarily a matter for individual businesses. However, the Government recognises the importance of cash as a means of payment for essential services and to the wider economy, and therefore welcomes the work of the regulators to monitor cash acceptance. For example, research published by the Financial Conduct Authority in 2020 found that 98 per cent of small businesses surveyed would never turn away a customer if they needed to pay in cash.

The Government also recognises it is important that people can withdraw and deposit cash with ease, without which it is more difficult for cash to be used as a means of payment. The Financial Conduct Authority has recently assumed regulatory responsibility for protecting access to cash, and its new rules went live on 18 September. Under these rules, following a request from a local community or the closure of a cash access facility, firms that have been designated by the Government to be subject to the FCA’s regime are required to undertake an assessment of a community’s cash access needs and to put in place a new service if necessary.