Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment have they made of the availability in poorer communities of automatic teller machines which do not charge customers for withdrawing money.

The assessment made by the Government is that 95 per cent of communities in deprived areas now have free-to-use ATMs within their area or less than two thirds of a mile from the area's centre, which has brought access to free-to-use ATMs to over 1.5 million people.

LINK has established a Financial Inclusion Programme to provide free-to-use ATMs where they are needed, by installing ATMs that are subsidised to make their operation commercially viable for operators. The cost of this subsidy is shared out among LINK member banks. 1,400 target areas now have access to an industry subsidised ATM through the programme. Toynbee Hall is due to complete research on this issue shortly, commissioned by LINK.