Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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438. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will consider introducing legislation to ensure that consumers retain the right to pay in cash for goods and services, given that an increasing number of businesses are going cashless, which risks discriminating against people who are elderly or digitally excluded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57727/25]

Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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439. To ask the Minister for Finance if his Department has carried out any assessment on the impact of cashless business policies on consumer rights; if he will consider introducing consumer protection measures to ensure access to cash payment options; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57728/25]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 438 and 439 together.

In October 2024, the then Minister for Finance, Jack Chambers TD, launched the National Payments Strategy (NPS). The NPS recognises that cash continues to be an important means of payment and store of value for many people in Ireland, especially for those who are elderly or digitally excluded.

In relation to businesses accepting card payments only, where a business places no restrictions on the means of payment it is prepared to accept, it must accept cash as legal tender when offered by a customer to settle a debt that has arisen. If a business specifies payment must be in a form other than cash, the customer cannot subsequently claim a legal right to pay in cash.

As a matter of common law, contracts are formed by offer and acceptance. The terms which apply to such a contract are a matter for the parties to determine and will depend on the circumstances of the case. The Consumer Rights Act 2022, which was sponsored by the Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment, applies to contracts entered into between retailers and consumers on or after 29 November 2022.

In relation to legislative measures for acceptance, there are limitations to any domestic action the Government of Ireland may take, with the ability to propose legislation for euro cash acceptance exclusively being a European Commission competency.

On 28 June 2023, the European Commission published a proposal for a Regulation on the legal tender of banknotes and coins. The Regulation will enshrine the principal of mandatory acceptance in the EU. The proposal also places an obligation on Member States to monitor access to cash, to assess the levels annually, and report their assessment to the Commission and the ECB.

If a Member State finds that there is not sufficient and effective access to cash, it will be required to take remedial measures. The proposal is progressing at EU Council level, with the Danish Presidency indicating that it intends to reach a General Approach on the file during its term.

The Finance (Provision of Access to Cash Infrastructure) Act 2025, recently passed through the Houses of the Oireachtas, also ensures that cash remains a sustainable and accessible payment option for Irish society as a whole.