Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of reducing cheque deposit services at post offices on people in rural areas.

The Government recognises the important role the Post Office plays in providing essential banking services, particularly in rural areas. The Post Office Banking Framework allows personal and business customers to withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance and pay bills at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK. Furthermore, the Post Office is required by the Department for Business & Trade to ensure that 95% of the total rural population across the UK is within 3 miles of their nearest Post Office.

Decisions about what services are available at the Post Office, such as cheque deposits, are made by the banks as part of their commercial arrangements.

Customers continue to have other options for paying in cheques, whether at local bank branches, by post, or digitally via mobile apps using cheque imaging technology.