Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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12. To ask the Minister for Finance to report on the progress of ensuring access to cash and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28047/25]

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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As the Minister is aware, cash is increasingly something many people do not use. One will often hear people say they do not carry cash at all but rely on credit cards and banking apps to make the payments they need to make. While that is very progressive in lots of ways, will the Minister tell us what he is doing to ensure cash remains available for those who need and want to use it?

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The Finance (Provision of Access to Cash Infrastructure) Act 2025 is the result of a recommendation in the Department of Finance’s 2022 review of retail banking. The objectives of the Act are to ensure sufficient and effective access to cash in the State; to put in place a framework to manage future changes to the cash infrastructure in a fair, orderly, equitable and transparent manner; and to bring cash-in-transit providers, CITs, and independent ATM deployers within the regulatory perimeter of the Central Bank of Ireland.

The legislation will do so by allowing the Minister for Finance to prescribe in regulations access-to-cash criteria with regard to December 2022 levels initially, taking account of the exits of Ulster Bank and KBC. The regions used will be the eight regions of our country as defined by Eurostat.

The Act will require ATM deployers to be registered with the Central Bank of Ireland and provides the Central Bank with regulation-making powers relating to matters such as reporting requirements, service and other matters such as denomination stocking. The Act was signed into law only in May; work will now begin to commence the legislation. I expect the key regulations to be completed in the third quarter of this year.

While I am very much aware of the changing attitudes as regards the use of cash, I understand that for many people in our country using cash is still the main way they want to conduct payments. This speaks to an issue of inclusion within our financial system. I do not see it at all as being a technical matter; I see it as really important. If you find out you are not able to pay a bill or not able to use your money to make important transactions, it just adds to a feeling of not being part of our financial system. I do not want to see that happen.

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge that the Government takes on board this issue. Exactly as the Minister says, it is an inclusion issue, particularly for people who might not be tech savvy or might even have bad Internet coverage. The lack of access to cash can be a real stumbling block for them in accessing financial services and paying bills. I therefore appreciate that there is a governmental and legislative acknowledgment of the importance of cash. Some choose to use the alternative technological solutions, and that is great, but we must continue to make cash available to people.

Small businesses tell me that sometimes dealing in cash with banks can increase their banking charges and costs. Is there any intention to impress upon the banks the need for them not to penalise businesses and individuals for choosing to use cash over electronic means of funds transfers?

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I will look at that issue. I am struck, despite what I said, by the number of premises I now walk into, like shops and cafés, that say "card only". I can understand completely the benefits they get in that regard. There are benefits to the economy overall as well in being able to record transactions and look at how tax is collected. However, I go back to the point I agreed on a moment ago. Not being able to use cash to access a service is something I am concerned about. I want to consider it further, and in my next round of engagement with our banks I will certainly raise with them that issue and the feeling that, as the Deputy said, small businesses may feel in some way penalised.

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I appreciate the Minister's perspective and his commitment to that. Beyond the banking sector, there are businesses that will sometimes try to dictate to their customers how they will effect payment for a service or a good. Some people will say not just that they want a card payment but that it must be through a particular method - PayPal or whatever it might be. Does the Minister perhaps see a role in regulatory terms for the Government to say to businesses that they may not do that and that they must facilitate payment by multiple means, or at least more than one means, in circumstances where there could be a concern that dictating that payment must be made through a particular means would seriously restrict some people's ability to access that good or service?

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I would be reluctant to give that commitment to the Deputy here today because I would need to consider whether that would have any unintended consequences regarding policies we have on the legal tender of cash. That is now being developed within the European Union. As I said to the Deputy, I will look at the matter. I want to ensure that citizens do not in any way feel excluded from our financial system. I cannot help but notice the growing number of shops and cafés I walk into that say "card only". That is not at all a problem for the Deputy or me, but there are some within our society for whom that can be a problem and, as I said, I do not want to see that happen.