Committee to question Post Office on banking service in Scotland

• Watch Parliament TV: Access to Financial Services
• Inquiry: Access to Financial Services
• Scottish Affairs

Concerns over capacity

The Scottish Affairs Committee will hear about the health of the Post Office in Scotland in the final session of its access to financial services inquiry. The Post Office has become a major provider of banking services, such as cash deposits for businesses. However, concerns have been raised about the capacity of the Post Office to be the primary provider of these services as banks close nearby branches and the availability of Post Offices across Scotland. The number of Post Office branches in Scotland has been reducing, with 5 closures in 2018. The Post Office trade body, the National Federation of SubPostmaster, recently raised concern about the resilience of the Post Office network stating that it has been “taken beyond a tipping point”.

Questions

In this session the Committee will question the Post Office's Banking Director and the Network Development Director on the stability of branches in Scotland, and the Post Office's plans for the future of their banking services. In the following panel, the Committee will question the Economic Secretary to the Treasury John Glen MP on the evidence gathered throughout the inquiry on the diminishing availability of access to financial services across Scotland. The Committee will question the Minister on preserving access to cash and regulation of bank branches and ATM networks.

Witnesses

Wednesday 12 June 2019, Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster

At 10.15am:

• Martin Kearsley, Banking Director
• Tracy Marshall, Network Development Director

At 11.15am:

• John Glen, Economic Secretary to the Treasury
• David Raw, Deputy Director Banking and Credit

Further information

• About Parliament: Select committees
• Visiting Parliament: Watch committees

Image: PA