The sourcing and issuing of cheque books to their customers is an operational matter for the banks concerned and is, therefore, not a matter in which the Minister has a statutory function.
However, a recommendation of the Retail Banking Review, which was published in November 2022, was that the Department of Finance should lead on the preparation of a new National Payments Strategy (NPS) to be ready in 2024. The Retail Banking Review recommended that the NPS set out a roadmap for the future evolution of the entire payments system, taking account of developments in digital payments, as well as the use of cheques and other issues.
The Department of Finance has established a dedicated team to develop the NPS and the Terms of Reference for the National Payments Strategy were published on 27 June 2023. A key objective of this Strategy is Access and Choice by promoting reasonable options for consumers and small businesses in the payment methods currently available to consumers in Ireland.
The NPS team is engaging with the key stakeholders in the public and private sectors to ensure the NPS incorporates input from across society on the areas covered by the ToR. In addition, the team is seeking the views and perspectives from the wider public, both business and consumers from across all parts of society and the economy through a public consultation. The consultation paper is being hosted online at https://consult.finance.gov.ie/en, with a closing date for submissions of 14 February 2024.
