Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making protecting access to cash a statutory duty of the Payment Systems Regulator.

On 3 May 2019, in response to a Call for Evidence on Cash & Digital Payments in the New Economy, the Government committed to supporting digital payments whilst safeguarding access to cash for those who need it.

The Government will carefully consider whether legislation would be required to support access to, and acceptance of, cash, though there are important steps that can safeguard access to cash without changes to the law. We will therefore engage closely with industry and regulators on their role in these issues.

The Government has launched the Joint Authorities Cash Strategy (JACS) Group, which brings together the Payment Systems Regulator, Financial Conduct Authority and Bank of England to ensure a comprehensive oversight of the overall cash infrastructure in light of changing trends.