Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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102. To ask the Minister for Finance the action he is taking to ensure that there will be widespread nationwide availability of ATMs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28424/24]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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114. To ask the Minister for Finance if it is his intention that criteria will be prescribed on a regional basis to require that a percentage of the population must be within a distance of no more than ten kilometres from an ATM; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28430/24]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 102, 114 and 119 together.

The Department of Finance's Retail Banking Review, published in November 2022, concluded that cash, despite a decline in its usage, remains an important element of the payments system and the broader economy and it is essential that cash remains readily available to customers through ATMs and other means across the country.

The Review recommended that the Department of Finance should develop Access to Cash legislation with the initial objective of developing criteria that would secure access to cash at about the levels prevailing in December 2022.

My predecessor published the General Scheme of the Finance (Provision of Access to Cash Services) Bill in 2024 with the objective of establishing a framework to ensure that the future evolution of cash infrastructure in the State will be managed in a fair, orderly, transparent, and equitable manner.

The Bill provides that the Minister for Finance shall prescribe criteria in respect of each of the eight NUTS3 regions in the State to require that:

• a specified percentage of the population must be within a distance of no less than five and no more than ten kilometres from an ATM;
• there must be a minimum number of ATMs per 100,000 people; and
• a specified percentage of the population must be within a distance of no less than five and no more than ten kilometres from “cash service points.” These are locations where cash can be lodged and withdrawn and where there is in-person assistance available. Bank branches, with cash services, and post offices satisfy this definition.

The Bill also provides for the remedying of “local deficiencies.” These are locations within a NUTS3 region where particular difficulties arise in accessing cash.

The Central Bank will assess such cases and, where warranted, may require designated entities to address the issue. The Central Bank will prepare and publish guidance on local deficiencies prior to implementation of this provision.

The legislation will provide that the access to cash criteria can be amended by the Minister following a review of the criteria by the Central Bank. Reviews will have to be carried out following the publication of Census data or if cash demand drops by 15% in a calendar year compared to the previous year. Reviews may also be carried out at the request of the Minister or on the Central Bank’s own initiative.

In carrying out a review, the Central Bank must take must take account of a number of factors, including the level of cash demand, population changes, operational costs, and financial inclusion. These provisions ensure that the criteria can be adjusted in response to the demand for cash in the State, and will ensure that the framework being put in place is adaptable in relation to demand.

The Bill also brings ATM deployers and cash in transit providers within the regulatory perimeter of the Central Bank of Ireland. Currently, the Private Security Authority (PSA) is the competent authority for Cash-in-Transit (CIT) companies.

Similarly, the operation of ATMs is not a regulated activity and, as a result, there are no applicable codes or regulations. Under this legislation, independent ATM deployers will be required to register with the Central Bank, and the legislation will give the Central Bank the power to make regulations to prescribe requirements for all ATM operators in relation to reporting and service standards.

This includes hours of operation, withdrawal limits, banknote denomination stocking, outages, maximum downtime periods, and signage and communication requirements.

Both the Data Protection Commission and the European Central Bank have been consulted in relation to the legislation. The Data Protection Commission noted that the Bill contains the necessary safeguards regarding any publication of personal data.

The European Central Bank welcomed the core objectives of the legislation, provisions for local deficiencies, and provision for service standards, among other elements.

Drafting of the Bill is nearly completed and I intend to seek Government approval to publish the Bill in the coming weeks.