We recognise that the Government does not want to intervene in the detail of commercial decisions. However, we are concerned that a lack of data on cash usage in Scotland means Ministers have not had a clear picture of the implications of bank branch and ATM closures on communities in Scotland. We welcome the Minister’s recognition of the need for a more detailed picture of cash usage in Scotland, and it is important that this more detailed data be used to inform the Government’s legislative ...

We recognise that the Government does not want to intervene in the detail of commercial decisions. However, we are concerned that a lack of data on cash usage in Scotland means Ministers have not had a clear picture of the implications of bank branch and ATM closures on communities in Scotland. We welcome the Minister’s recognition of the need for a more detailed picture of cash usage in Scotland, and it is important that this more detailed data be used to inform the Government’s legislative proposals. Type: conclusion | Number: 1 | Paragraph: 23 | Response status: under_consideration Government response: Related to this recommendation, the Committee’s report reflects on the availability of data relating to cash in Scotland. According to further information provided by LINK, as of June 2022 there were over 5,000 ATMs in Scotland and the proportion of ATMs that are free-to-use has increased in Scotlan