 The first item of business is a member's business debate on motion 10648, in the name of Dean Lockhart, and campaign to save ATMs. The debate will be concluded without any questions being put and can ask those members who wish to take part in the debate to press the request to speak buttons now. I call on Dean Lockhart to open the debate. Seven minutes, please, Mr Lockhart. I am very pleased to bring to the chamber this member's debate in relation to the potential closure of free-to-use ATMs across Scotland. Let me start by thanking members who have supported the motion, allowing us to debate an issue that has the potential to affect all of our constituencies and regions. I would also like to recognise the excellent joint campaign by which and the Federation of Small Business, which has attracted over 75,000 signatures across the UK to highlight that concern. As members will be aware, automated teller machines have a long history in Scotland with the first ATM being introduced in the late 1960s. In fact, the very concept of the ATM was pioneered by two Scotsmen, James Goodfellow from Paisley and John Shepherd Barron from Inverness, with the latter originally imagining that a cash machine code could operate just like a chocolate dispenser. ATMs have clearly come a long way since then. There are now 5,200 free-to-use ATMs across Scotland offering a wide range of banking services and forming an invaluable part of communities and local economies. Despite the increasing use of digital transactions, cash is still the most common method of payment in the high street, with more than one-third of total high street spending being dependent on the ready availability of cash machines. FSB research highlights that local ATMs inject an average of £16 per withdrawal directly into nearby stores, and research by which has shown that 90 per cent of Scottish consumers consider the availability of free cash machines as being an important part of their everyday lives. The importance of local free-to-use ATMs has only increased following the recent closure of a number of bank branches. ATMs are now often the only means for people across Scotland to access cash and banking services. Given the importance of ATMs for local communities, serious concerns were raised in January this year, when the UK's largest cash point network, LINC, announced plans to change the fee structure under which ATM operators are paid for the use of their ATMs. The proposed changes announced by LINC would reduce the fee paid to ATM operators by 20 per cent over the next four years. The critical issue is that this fee reduction has the potential to close many hundreds of ATMs across Scotland as they would become financially unviable. The Federation of Small Businesses has estimated that around 1 in 10 ATMs in Scotland, more than 500 ATMs are at risk. If those proposals go ahead, those who will be hardest hit are those who are most reliant on using cash, including those in rural communities, where branch closures have already limited access to cash and banking services, resulting in a double whammy if ATM services are also withdrawn. The FSB has estimated that rural areas will potentially be the hardest hit by those proposals, with 1 in 5, 20 per cent of ATMs in rural areas at risk. Those proposals would also have an adverse impact on vulnerable and deprived communities where free-to-use ATM coverage is already limited. Age Scotland has expressed concerns that poor mobility and the lack of public transport will make it difficult for older people to access more distant ATMs. For small retailers, the closure of a local ATM would damage their business. Small retailers are cash businesses. According to the Scottish Grocer's Federation, 76 per cent of all transactions of their members are cash-based. Research shows that, without a nearby ATM, more than 20 per cent of consumers would be less likely to use a local shop, and 1 in 7 consumers would find it more difficult to pay for goods in cash. Evidence given last week at the Economy, Fair Work and Fair Work Committee, which is undertaking an inquiry into bank branch closures, highlighted that many small retailers also rely on the cash deposit facilities of ATM machines, with many facing insurance requirements to deposit cash at the end of every day or every second day. Without a local ATM facility, those retailers may have to travel up to two or three hours to get to their nearest cash deposit facility, with clear implications for managing their cash flow, staffing and productivity issues. The link network has responded to those widespread concerns. It has given assurances that vulnerable consumers and remote ATMs will be protected by some measures. That includes its financial inclusion programme, which provides funding of up to £3 million for the retention of ATMs in areas that are underserved. However, it is unclear how that will work in practice. It is unclear how that £3 million additional funding will offset the impact of the reduction in the interchange fee, which will see £200 million taken out of the system. The FSB has estimated that the financial inclusion programme would only apply to 220 ATMs in Scotland. That is less than 5 per cent of the network. It is important that we acknowledge the changing nature of banking and the increasing use of online banking and cashless transactions. It is equally important that we acknowledge the pressures banks face with interest rates lower for longer, increasing regulatory compliance and the increasing cost of doing business. However, cost reduction exercises that would result in the closure of hundreds of ATMs across Scotland cannot and should not be the answer to those pressures. I have therefore written to the chairman of the link scheme to call for the proposed changes to be reconsidered and for the link network and member banks to take another look at the impact of those proposals on consumers, small businesses and communities. If the objective of the link network is to achieve a better geographic and demographic balance of ATMs, there are better ways to achieve that. I have also written to the payment systems regulator, the relevant regulator in this matter, to ask that they closely monitor all proposed changes to the link, mastercard and visa payment systems to ensure that any changes in the future to those systems will prioritise consumers' access to free-to-use ATMs. In all of this, it is vital that the ATM network is not just seen as another banking service from which to make money, but instead is viewed as a core service offered by the banking industry as part of its wider commitment to local stakeholders. I say to members that, as we must conclude by 2 pm to let the next business go on, I want to get all members in. I must be very strict and members must keep exactly to their time. No ifs, no buts, no extra seconds could make it clearer. I call Gail Ross, who will show you the way, followed by Jamie Halcro Johnston. I would like to start by thanking Witsch and FSB for their campaign on this issue and also to Dean Lockhart for bringing this debate to the chamber today. Witsch and FSB have been working tirelessly to bring the threat of ATM closures to our attention and I am glad that we can debate it here today. The reason why Witsch and FSB have had to raise this issue, as Dean Lockhart has already highlighted, is that, in January this year, the UK's largest cash point network, LINK, announced plans to reduce the amount paid by card issuers to ATM operators for every use of a free ATM by a customer. Those plans will reduce the amount received by ATM operators by 20 per cent per transaction from July this year, a move that is likely to make thousands of ATMs across the UK financially unviable. In rural constituencies like mine, the removal of ATMs will not only add to the great difficulties already created by bank closures, but it will also have a considerable effect on tourism, making visitors less able to contribute to local economies. As a rural MSP and the deputy convener of the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee, I have fought against bank closures and I am also fighting for better provision of mobile banking. I will continue to challenge those decisions, but until the banks see sense, the role of ATMs is vital to the cash-based economy of rural Scotland. Tourism is a key sector in my constituency and the creation of the North Coast 500 has helped to harness its potential. Having ATMs along the NC500 route is key to ensuring that tourists can access money when they wish and spend it freely in local businesses. Not all small rural businesses take cards and many may have card limits. Cash points can ensure that tourists can spend despite that. ATMs do not, however, just assist for businesses that do not take card. They also increase the likelihood that customers will spend money. FSB research shows that on average local ATMs inject some £16 per withdrawal directly into nearby shops. Keeping ATMs in towns and villages is an important way of continuing tourist investment. Rather than removing ATMs, companies should be increasing their numbers and ensuring that they are accessible. Of the 60 or so ATMs in my constituency, nearly half are inside shops and banks, meaning that they do not have 24-hour access. The welcome increase in tourism created by the NC500 makes it increasingly likely that existing ATMs will run out of cash. Just last month, the Northern Star newspaper reported that cash machines run dry in Tain. As closed banks lead to increased demand on ATMs, they will run out of cash more regularly unless their numbers are increased. Link and its members should realise that the disappointing bank closures across rural areas mean that there is no better time to invest in ATMs. In my constituency, many local business owners would like to see an increase in cash and deposit ATMs, which allow customers to deposit money as well as to take it out. More of those ATMs would allow rural businesses to bank quickly and easily and prevent the safety and security issues that come with holding large sums of money on business premises or in homes. ATMs will continue to have a role in rural areas because of their importance to tourism and the cash-based economy. It is therefore vital that we ensure continued access to cash, and we join FWICH and the FSB in urging Link and its members to review their decision in light of the implications. Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I congratulate my colleague Dean Lockhart on securing today's debate on what is an important issue. It comes at a time when the Economy and Fair Work Committee, on which I am a member of, is investigating bank branch closures, an issue that has current relevance across the UK. Of course, the House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee is also taking evidence on the access to ATMs specifically. I welcome this political attention on what is clearly a matter of considerable interest to people across the country, but also more keenly felt in the rural and remote parts of my region of the Highlands and Islands, as Gail Ross has said. In recent decades, people have become increasingly used to ready-accessible cash. As Dean Lockhart mentioned, Scotland claimed to be the home of the modern ATM. Its original inventor, John Shepherd Barron, brought forward the concept that created the first Barclays machine, and his invention was built upon by a Paisie man, James Goodfellow, who developed the machine-readable card, accompanied by a PIN number, reducing the need for slightly radioactive imprinting of the check-like documents that were paid in. The Enfield branch of Barclays still operates today, but bears a blue plaque noting its place in history. It is captioned, lives are made much easier, a testament to the role that ATMs have played in our modern history. The advances in contactless and chip-and-pin technology have doubtless had an effect on the use of ATMs. However, for many, cash remains the default method of purchase. The FSB has spoken about the higher level of cash transactions for small businesses, and at a recent economy committee meeting, small convenience store owners told us how customers took money out of the ATM in the store. Some of that money was then spent in the store, and then the shopkeeper put much of it back into the ATM, showing the importance of the ATM in supporting that business and the cyclical nature of the cash economy that it relies on. Of course, cash withdrawals can also be used as a form of budgeting, with people taking out a weekly amount and being able to closely monitor their spending in certain areas. Some of the proposals from the payment system regulator have been sensible attempts to agree to a reasonable way forward with Link, but it will inevitably be an area that must be closely monitored in coming years. While we may look to the future and the potential of an increasingly cashless society, cash is still an important part of many local economies, and there remains a risk that some of the more vulnerable citizens and businesses will be left behind by a banking system that is increasingly difficult to access in the ways that they are used to. Indeed, cashless transactions have grown at pace without any great discussion of what the implications might be, and people are often being forced to change business practices and their own banking practices with very little support or forewarning. However, the impact in specific areas and for specific groups of people should be considered. Looking geographically, which has observed that Shetland has the highest level of charging cash machines in Scotland, comfortably over half requiring a fee for withdrawals, is, however, based on a relatively small sample size. Link has identified that there are a total of 31 ATMs in the northern isles that are taken together, of which 20 are free to use. Those ATMs are important. Indeed, they are crucial for the sustainability of the rural shop that relies so heavily on cash, and those shops themselves are so important as part of their communities, providing a harbour and a place to meet, particularly for those who otherwise might face social isolation. ATMs can be an integral part of the rural economy. I do not think that anyone is advocating getting rid of free fee-paying ATMs in their entirety, which itself observes that they can offer additional convenience, but it should not be at the cost of losing out on existing provision. That is why ATMs in branches should be considered in the round. Access to money and banking services continue to be important, yet, for many, it can be a field impossible to carry out relatively simple requirements. When online banking facilities fail, as we have seen recently with problems at TSB, customers can be left with few alternatives. There may be many elements to play here, far too many to fit into a four-minute speech, but let us be very clear. If banks create barriers to customer service, then customers will look for banking services elsewhere. I will finish with a quote from James Goodfellow. You have not time for Mr Goodfellow, I am sure. I would love to hear him, but no. I am pleased to speak today on a subject of great importance to my constituents, and I congratulate Dean Lockhart on securing the debate. I would also like to congratulate which the FSB in Age of Scotland for their campaigning on this important matter. The decision by Link to reduce the interchange fees is all the more concerning against the backdrop of local branch closures in my area. Three market towns close together, Langham, Locker, Ben Ann and are all threatened with RBS closures. That was recently added to by a proposed closure by Saint-Hundaire. While fighting those closures, my constituents were assured that, at the very least, they would still be able to access cash machines. Now we are told that Scotland will be among the hardest hit by a drop in the number of free-to-use ATMs. That is especially bad news for those from rural communities, where one in five people already say that their nearest machine is far too far away to reach on foot. As is the case with anything to do with the financial sector, it is quite hard to get to the bottom of who is really responsible, but Link's membership is comprised of 37 banks, so that scandal again looks like it comes from the banks. Despite the reduced interchange fees, banks could make the decision to maintain free-to-use ATMs, where they are attached to local branches that are pre-existing. However, if the last few months are anything to go by, then relying on the social responsibility of RBS and Saint-Hundaire seems somewhat optimistic. The loss of a local branch can be difficult enough for a community to deal with, but losing a cash machine makes a bad situation worse. Once larger machines are removed from towns, smaller ones cannot cope with demand, people are forced to travel ridiculous distances for one of a few pounds, and the amount of cash circulating in the town plumets harming local businesses. I recently discovered that applications have been made to Dumfries and Galloway's planning department for the removal of an ATM machine in Anand, and it is my understanding that that is directly linked to the reckless decisions that are made by RBS on bank closures. On a more positive note, campaigners in Mable last week secured an impressive victory when RBS made a dramatic U-turn and reversed their decision to axe the town's ATM. Sustained pressure from local campaigners and MPs and MSPs has resulted in RBS offering a reprieve to the closure threatened Gretna branch in my area and nine more across the country. Of course, all branches and ATMs across the region and across Scotland should be kept open and not just granted temporary reprieve, but those examples show that keeping up the pressure does have an impact and that is why debates like this are so important. People are rightly incensed by the idea that the banks that cause such carnage in 2008 are imposing more damage on communities, and I hope that the banking sector will learn from events of the past few months and recognise that there is a continued need for face-to-face provision, as well as cash withdrawal and deposit machines. With regard to the link, they must acknowledge their responsibility as the network to which almost every cash machine in the UK is connected. In their submission to the Economy, Jobs and Fair Works Committee inquiry on bank closures, links stressed their commitment to providing consumers with access to their cash for three through the strengthening of their financial inclusion programme. However, that is too important to leave to links voluntary corporate social responsibility. Is the role of the UK wide payments systems regulator and the Bank of England, which also regulates links, to ensure that consumers are able to access cash effectively and efficiently? Maybe it is time for the Bank of England to step in and force links to revise those plans. Thank you very much. I call Monica Lennon to follow by Richard Lochhead. I also congratulate Dean Lockhart for securing this debate and thank which and the FSB for its campaigns. It is an issue that I have been following closely, as my MP, the member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, Jed Killan, has also been leading work on the campaign. He plans to introduce a bill at Westminster this month to create a legal requirement for free ATMs in order to protect free access to people's cash. I share Jed Killan's concerns about links decision to effectively cut funds for those who operate free ATMs. Link, as we have heard, only consulted its members about this decision, many of whom are large banks who have a commercial interest and did not consult the public more widely yet the impact on the general public will be significant because we could see whole high streets and communities where no free-to-use ATMs will exist. Less than six months ago, communities across Scotland were shaken when it was announced that over 60 bank branches space closure and several RBS branches in my region central Scotland were affected, including the RBS branch in Hamilton Cadswell street and in Larkhall. Dean Lockhart referred to the research by which shows how heavily people depend on access to free ATMs. We have no doubt that it is the most vulnerable people in our society who will be hit the hardest, people without their own access to transport, including the elderly and people with disabilities. The cost of accessing cash from fee-charging ATMs will be felt most by those who can least afford it. If you have £10 or £20 left in the bank, having to pay a couple of quid to withdraw that out is putting people in real danger of being overdrawn and they simply can't afford it. I mentioned the RBS Hamilton Cadswell street branch. In Hamilton, there is an ATM in Corrish street, which currently charges £1.99, Larkhall, which RBS is going to abandon. I know that Dean Lockhart hails from Larkhall. John Street charges £1.75. Stonehouse, Draven Road, the ATM charges £1.99. East Kilbride is one that charges £1.85, and we could all go on and on. In Lanarkshire, we know that one in five children are living in poverty, so it is simply unacceptable for families who are already struggling to be charged to access their own cash. We cannot allow those charges to become the norm. Link tells us that it strengthened its financial inclusion programme by subsidising ATMs operators with cash lines in low-income areas, but the reality is that in areas that are already struggling to cope with poverty and deprivation, there is already an under-provision of ATMs. Ged Cillan, for example, counted more cash lines in just one corridor of the House of Commons than the whole of Canberra's Lang main street in his constituency. The banks and car dishes that make up much of Link's membership may have commercial concerns about the projections of reduced cash usage, but Link is a not-for-profit company with a social remit. Those who value ATMs as a lifeline service must be properly considered. On behalf of my constituents across Central Scotland, I add my voice to the calls of Ged Cillan MP and organisations, including which, the FSB, for the payment system regulator to engage in a full market review of the effects of those proposed changes. I welcome Ged Cillan's plans to launch a bill at Westminster to protect free access to cash, and I hope that he gets the cross-party support that the bill deserves. I congratulate Dean Lockhart on securing this important debate, so we can all make a contribution, highlighting the importance of local constituencies across wider rural Scotland in particular. I also pay tribute to which magazine for their campaign and the FSB and age concern others who have sent us valuable briefing for this debate. There is a sense at the moment in Scotland that there is a new emerging banking crisis. This time it is not about subprime mortgages but about banking facilities being withdrawn from Scotland's rural communities. Many people and many commentators for a long time have predicted the cashless society that is still several decades away, but we are in danger of a combination of the UK authorities and their inaction combined with the banking sectors policies of creating cashless communities in rural Scotland. That brings all kinds of detrimental social and economic impacts. Those of us who represent rural constituencies have seen just in the past two years in particular the closure of many high-street bank branches in our constituencies. I am in the ludicrous position where, in my constituency of Murray, in the whole of the space side, we now have no high-street bank branches left. They have all closed in the last couple of years. This is the part of Scotland that produces one of the biggest revenue generators to the UK treasury in terms of the whisky industry, because 50 per cent of Scotch whisky is produced in the space side. It is also the home of Walker Shortbread, a major company that operates in 80 markets around the world. It is the centre of angling tourism and other economic sectors as well. There is not one bank branch in the whole of the space side representing those sectors. In replacing the bank branches that have closed, we had the mobile banks that have been brought forward. I have just had to see off a fight with the Royal Bank of Scotland, who wanted to reduce the twice-weekly visits of the mobile bank to Dufton in the space side. Thankfully, the reverse that decision in that service will continue for the foreseeable future. All that we have left are the holes in the wall, which at the moment contain auto bank machines, and those ATMs are vital for those communities. The idea that they could be removed because of the changing of the pricing is ludicrous and must absolutely be stopped. In fact, when the high street branches closed in Aberlour in the space side, they also took away the auto bank machines, so at the moment, Aberlour has no auto bank machines, and people have to travel to Rothes down the roads, which sometimes runs out of cash because so many people are now dependent on getting cash from that ATM. Of course, when Aberlour's ATMs closed, there was no consultation that I am aware of with the local community or elected representatives. This is a very important issue for the rural economy for a number of reasons. Firstly, some shops in many rural communities, and I was just in Wester Ross for my holidays over Easter, and as one example of a spectacular area, they only take cash because they have fragile profit margins and therefore they cannot afford the cost of the card transactions, so they only take cash. People cannot access cash to tourists and other local people, so of course they are going to lose out big time in these types of businesses. Secondly, in places such as Aberlour and elsewhere in the space side of rural Scotland, we are going to have summer shows and summer effects and highland games coming up, where charities and good causes raise money, as well as other organisations, and they depend on visitors and tourists going through local ATM, taking out some cash and going and spending it at the show. Then, as they run out of cash, they can go back to the ATM and top up because they are having such a good time. If there is a cost and it is not free of that service, then they will be put off from doing that in many cases. Therefore, the good causes, charities and businesses will lose out for that reason as well. Finally, in terms of rural Murray and many parts of Scotland, people do not have good broadband signal if they get any at all. People do not have good mobile phone signal if they get any at all. Therefore, not to have those facilities to carry their banking and to access cash in other ways is very detrimental to their quality of life, particularly for elderly people. I ask the minister to please do what he can to address this issue with link, and the UK Government should be setting up a task force to look into the rural banking crisis at the moment. Thank you very much. I call Maurice Culley to be followed by Mark McDonald. Maurice Culley, please. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I thank my colleague Dean Lockhart for bringing this important debate to the chamber today. Throughout my region, as is in the case throughout Scotland, people face different challenges and different areas. For quite a few years now, we have been seeing the centralisation of many services. This has shown us that the difficulties and challenges are faced by those who do not live in central locations. People require certain facilities that can be accessed at any time. This is particularly pertinent in my area, where Arakha and Tarbot are tourist areas, but there is no ATM at all. Emergency situation does not allow time for waiting for shop to open for you to withdraw cash, nor does it have the possibility of having to store more cash within the home for those potential situations to make us safer. I have had numerous constituents concerned by the declining banking services for different reasons, with technology advances and the way in which people are now working from home. A growing number of people are working from home and having not to travel. For people who are working from home in more rural areas, they are faced with either storing cash reserves in their house or timely travel to withdraw cash. For those who are using public transport, that has raised serious slave to concerns. Older people are much more likely to travel on public transport and therefore have been put at risk by the potential decline in ATMs. This situation has only made it more difficult by the recent closure of bank branches. If people do not have access to withdraw facilities for cash, there is a severe knock-on to the local economy that has already been mentioned throughout the country. Some areas within my region have already seen a recent high spate of burglaries, with the potential increase in cash being stored at home under the bed. It would be logical to assume that the number of burglars may well increase as a result. Deputy Presiding Officer, in conclusion, I feel the risk and danger that could pose to the public outweigh the cost implications to the service providers. We must do everything within our power to ensure that those ATMs remain within our communities. I thank you very much, Mr Corry, because your generosity has allowed the last two speakers to claw back to four minutes each. I call Mark McDonald to follow by me. I realise that today's debate, which I congratulate Dean Lockhart on securing and thank Whitch and FSB for their campaign, has focused predominantly on rural issues and rural communities, as is quite proper. I wonder if I might take the opportunity, though, to include a city-based perspective into the debate. The Clydesdale bank proposes to close two bank branches in Scotland, one of which is Maastricht in my constituency. The branch is located just opposite my constituency office within the Maastricht shopping centre. That branch has two ATMs attached to it. There is one other ATM in the centre, which is a LINK ATM. My concern, which brings me to speaking in this debate, is that my constituents in Maastricht face a potential double whammy as a result of Clydesdale bank's decision to close their branch and the potential implications of the decision by LINK to reduce the transaction fee and therefore potentially make the ATM unviable within Maastricht. I want to explain why that is important. Dean Lockhart rightly mentioned the issue around vulnerable and deprived communities. While Maastricht has a number of low-income households in the area and a number of elderly individuals in the area, it does not classify as a regeneration community or a community of deprivation in the city of Aberdeen. Some of the protections and considerations that might be applied to deprived communities would potentially not be applied in the situation as it relates to Maastricht, even though it has in its community a number of people who would fit in the category of being low-income, elderly and vulnerable, but also digitally disenfranchised as well. There is a wider implication about the ATM coverage more widely and the difficulty people would have within a city context. I appreciate that it is dwarfed by the distances that individuals would have to travel in rural context, but nonetheless, even within a city context, the difficulty in terms of both topography and public transport links for individuals to access alternative ATM provision should the potential nuclear option of all of the ATMs disappearing or the potential, as Gail Ross highlighted, of the ATM running out of money, as has happened at a number of ATMs in the area over holiday weekends, for example, where the ATMs are not regularly topped up. That could have a double whammy in terms of driving people to look elsewhere or forcing them to look elsewhere. That has a knock-on effect on the businesses, and Dean Lockhart highlighted the £16 spend that takes place in businesses surrounding those ATMs. There are a number of small local businesses that are contained within the Maastricht shopping area, an area that benefited from the town centre regeneration funding that was put in place after 2007 and has seen the area lifted, but there are still some empty units there. My concern is that, if the Clyde'sdale bank does not reconsider its decision in terms of the ATMs, I think that the branch, having had discussions with the branch, is going to close in June. They have suggested that they will revisit their survey around ATM coverage and look at whether there is a possibility of retaining the ATMs either in their current location or within another provider in the centre. However, if that does not happen and the potential for the link machine to be viewed as unviable by the operator on the basis of the decisions that have been taken by Link in relation to the fees that are paid, my constituents and the businesses located in the Maastricht shopping area face a potential double whammy, which I consider would be highly unacceptable. I hope that the minister would agree with that, and I think that it is important that that is also reflected so that we understand that, while the rural context is absolutely important within that, there are also impacts on populated urban communities as well as a result of Link's decision. I now call on Mary Gougeon last week in the open debate. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I would really just like to start by adding my thanks to the others of those around the chamber to Dean Lockhart for bringing forward this debate today and highlighting this very important campaign. I would also like to add my thanks to which and the FSB for their campaign and for keeping up the pressure on Link and for the briefing material that they also provided for this debate. Because, while all the major banks are determined to make us think that no one needs or uses cash anymore so that they can get away with shutting all of our branches, that simply isn't the case. That's why I read the statistics provided by which the FSB, with great interest, where they found that the demand for banknotes had gone up by 10 per cent, with cash still the most widely used payment method right across the UK. The threat from Link to reduce the interchange fee and the resulting impact that it could have on the network of ATMs across the country is really bad enough in itself. That's been well articulated around the chamber today. I thought particularly by Monica Lennon, who highlighted the point about those ATMs who charge people to access their own cash and where it does hit the vulnerable people the hardest. However, the news about Link also comes straight on the back of the announcement of bank branch closures announced by RBS and the obvious impact that that will have on the availability of ATMs, with that coming straight on the back of Clyde Steel bank closures and removal of their ATMs. Obviously, we have heard the news recently about Santander 2. The cumulative effect of all of that is huge, especially for the likes of, as we heard today, Richard Lochhead, where I was absolutely shocked to hear that ATMs that all space site has left with all the high street bank branches have enclosed. Changes like that are made with no cognisance of those who only use cash, businesses who rely solely on cash transactions and are rural communities, the festivals and events that they hold, where that is so vitally important. In my constituency in Angus North and Merns, there have been six bank branch closures over the past two years. Clyde Steel bank closed three out of four in my constituency in Brechen, Forfer and Stonehaven. RBS soon followed suit with bank closures again in Brechen, Lawrence, Kirk and Stonehaven, with the recent announcement of closure of the branch in Montrose. That is why I, probably like many others in this chamber, was absolutely disgusted to get the news from RBS chief executive Ross McEwen last week, telling everyone that they were pleased to say that they had a good start to the year. I am glad that they did, because nobody else did, because in the first three months they made a pre-tax profit of £1.2 billion, 70 per cent up on the same period last year. In the meantime, they are determined to pursue a programme of branch closures, and they have tried to appease us with woefully inadequate mobile branch visits. Two hours a week granted to Montrose, which serves not just the town itself but the wider north-east area, who were forced to use that branch when the others in the north-east closed. Mobile banks, which are inaccessible and do not give us the full range of services, also force more pressure on the post office, who seem to be picking up every major bank slack, and again, where the full range of services is not available. I strongly urge Link to listen to this debate, to listen to what all the members have said and to take heed of it, and to ask them not to abandon the communities that they serve, like so many others have. I think that there is also a point in here for the Tories, too. You have to act for the communities that you serve, and do what you can to get the Government and Westminster to intervene and stop the RBS branch closures. They have a responsibility, and they have the power to do something about it, and it genuinely beggars belief that they have done nothing about it so far. I would like to join colleagues in thanking Dean Lockhart for raising today's motion, because it is a very important subject, as we have heard from all speakers today. I appreciate that Mr Lockhart and many other members have genuine concerns over Link's proposed changes to interchange rates, the implications for the ATM network and the impact of those changes on consumers and businesses across Scotland. As members will know, as has just been highlighted by Mary Gougeon, the UK Government retains legislative and regulatory responsibility for banking and financial services. However, at the point that has been made by Mary Gougeon, we hope that UK Government ministers can take action to intervene here. Of course, I would call on them to do so, but I want to put on record that the Scottish Government stands ready to work constructively with all concerned, including UK ministers, in the interests of consumers and businesses in so far as we can. As members have discussed, Link has proposed changes to operation of the UK's ATM network, with the intention of shifting incentives for ATM installation and operation from well-served urban areas to rural and financially excluded communities. As Monica Lennon and Jamie Halcro Johnston have also commented, those machines are vital for some financially excluded communities and families to budget as well, so they are using withdrawing the money that they know they can spend at risk to their bottom line. That is a very important function that really has not received the attention that it deserves. I take on board Mark McDonald's points entirely that there are some clearly very serious implications for rural communities, and there is clearly an issue for urban communities as well. Link is introducing those measures, though, as it believes that current incentives cause ATM providers to focus on profitable city centre areas, where 80 per cent of free-to-use ATMs are within 300 metres of another free-to-use machine. Link has proposed changes to the interchange rate to take effect from 1 July of this year, and Link is adopting a phased approach to this reform. As we understand, each further reduction will be subject to further review by Link to assess impact on consumers before implementation. Link has said to ourselves and others that there will be no change in and to change rate for free-to-use ATMs that are one kilometre or more from the next nearest free-to-use ATM, and I have indicated that 221 Scottish ATMs, as Dean Lockhart indicated, will be protected in this way. We understand, as Mr Lockhart referred to, that Link is also tripling its financial inclusion subsidy from 10 pence to 30 pence for ATMs in areas with poor cash access. I do not yet know if that will support the community of Maastricht, for example, in terms of the point that has been made about urban communities, but, clearly, I hope that Link will be listening, as Marie Gougeon has said in her closing remarks, and listening to the concerns that have been raised in the chamber today, both in an urban and rural context. We understand that Link believes that those changes are required to strengthen and increase the geographical coverage of the ATM network in the UK. We have to take them at the word, but I echo the response of members across the chamber that we need Link to carefully review the impact of their proposed changes on communities across Scotland and, indeed, wider UK. Although Link aims to support the ATM network in vulnerable communities that are laudable, it is yet unclear what the practical implications of those changes will be for consumers, businesses and communities in Scotland. I was very interested in the points that were made around the 10 per cent increase in cash use. Indeed, Richard Lochhead's point was very well made about the use of rural shows and other businesses that require cash, and charities in rural areas and urban areas often require cash for donations. Industry Body, the ATM industry association has estimated that as many as 10,000 feet of use ATMs could be at risk as a result of Link's planned changes. The uncertainty surrounding the potential implications of those changes on top of continued branch closure announcements, including those that were announced by Santander and Joan McAlpine referred to closure in Lockerbie in the past week, is unacceptable. Our communities need to know that they will have continuing secure free access to cash to allow them to go about their daily lives. I am pleased to support the Save Our Cash Points campaign launched by which and the Federation of Small Businesses, although saddened that such a campaign is even necessary. I have written to both the Payment Systems Regulator and to the Treasury in support of the campaign and I am pleased that I have received constructive responses from the economic secretary to the Treasury, John Glenn. The joint campaign by which representing consumers and FSB, representing our smaller businesses, highlights the continued importance of cash to sustain functioning local economies. Although cash is declining—although I have taken board the point that Marie Grison has highlighted—that there has been evidence of a 10 per cent increase in recent times, it remains for many the preferred and, in some cases, the only form of payment accounting for 40 per cent of transactions. I note the point made by Maurice Corry about the potential increased risk of burglary. The people are stashing cash in their premises rather than having to rely on achieving access to ATMs or bank branches that are far away from them, particularly if they are elderly. I have no doubt that society as a whole is perhaps moving to a cashless future, and there are real opportunities and benefits to be achieved in doing so, but we are not there yet, and that is the important point to make. We will not be there for quite some time to come, I am sure of that. There is a continued need for cash to be readily available to all. The which FSB campaign calls for the Payment Systems Regulator to conduct a wider market review to ensure that consumers continue to have access to cash, covering provision of free-to-use cash points and the long and short-term implications of links decision, links financial inclusion policy to ensure that it meets the needs of consumers and the long-term alternatives that are available to consumers if free cash points are removed. I have written, as I say, to the payment systems regulator, indicating the Scottish Government's support for such a review. Given the continuing trend of bank branch closures, it seems likely that the communities most affected by such closures will also likely be the most threatened by changes to the ATM network, facing the added uncertainty of the future of ATM provision. I welcome the payment system regulator's commitment to actively monitor developments as links proposals are implemented. Indeed, that is a point referenced in John Glenn's response. I understand that the payment system regulator will require link to report to it monthly on the impact of its decision and on action that link has taken to address any unexpected negative impact on the free-to-use ATM network. If any protected ATM is due to close, the PSR is keen to ensure that there is a quick transition to a new operator without any adverse effects on consumers. We need to hold on to that. I hope that the PSR will go further and use its regulatory powers and commit resource to ensure that no ATM in a vulnerable community closes until a new operator is found and that communities are not left without free access to cash being constrained as a result of links changes. On the branch closures in my closing remarks, as Gail Ross, Dean Lockhart, Joan McAlpine, Monica Lennon and many others have highlighted, concerns have been raised again today about the impact of branch closures on our local communities. Those are being exacerbated, as is highlighted by Richard Lockhead and Mary Gougeon, about changes in service offered by mobile banking units to communities that are already affected by branch closures. That is a matter of great regret. We all agree that those closures are a body blow to communities across Scotland, leaving many areas that significantly reduce branch coverage. Closure announcements, unfortunately, continue with Santander being the latest. Link and PSR have given indications that they will take into account the needs of communities affected by branch closures, as often when the branch closes an ATM and vital sources of cash are lost alongside the branch services. I support all the comments that have been made today and thank you, Dean Lockhart, again, for raising this important question. Thank you very much. It is time to conclude that debate. It is time to move on to the next item of business in just a few moments.