Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the reduction in the number of free cash machines.

In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of ministerial discussions are not normally disclosed.

Treasury ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors, including banks, as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

The Government recognises that widespread free access to cash remains extremely important to the day-to-day lives of many consumers and businesses in the UK.

The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) regulates LINK, the scheme that runs the UK’s largest ATM network. The PSR has used its powers to hold LINK to account over its commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs in the UK.