Are rules needed to govern the acceptance of cash? New inquiry launches with first session
The Treasury Committee hears from charities which work with vulnerable groups and organisations which promote financial inclusion, as its inquiry into physical cash acceptance kicks off.
Meeting details
MPs are keen to understand the potential impact of businesses and public services not accepting cash from the perspectives of disabled people, the elderly and domestic abuse survivors. They have therefore invited representatives from Age UK, Mencap and Surviving Economic Abuse.
The Committee will also hear evidence from The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, a charitable organised founded by financial journalist and TV personality Martin Lewis, as well as campaign group Payment Choice Alliance.
Members of the Committee will seek to understand the factors which drive financial exclusion and what safeguards are needed to prevent people becoming excluded from an increasingly digitised payments landscape.
MPs could also explore what barriers consumers may face if they rely on the use of cash to access specific services such as transport, rent and utilities.
Following recent reports that almost one million women in the UK are trapped in dangerous relationships as a result of financial abuse, MPs may ask what role cash can play for victims of financial coercion and economic abuse.