Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform and Taoiseach publishes Report on Pre-Legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Access to Cash Bill 2024

The General Scheme of the Access to Cash Bill 2024 was provided to the Joint Committee for pre-legislative scrutiny in January 2024. The purpose of the Bill is to provide for continued reasonable access to cash in the State. It aims to ensure that the evolution of the access to cash infrastructure does not move ahead of society’s needs and expectations and that future of access to cash infrastructure is handled in a fair, orderly, transparent and equitable manner for all stakeholders.

The report of the Joint Committee sets out 14 recommendations arising from written submissions received and evidence heard in two public meetings held on 27 February with officials from the Department of Finance and representatives of the Banking and Payments Federation, and on 6 March with representatives of Age Action.

Launching the report, Cathaoirleach Committee Deputy John McGuinness said: “This report sets out the details of the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Access to Cash Bill, highlights a number of key issues and contains recommendations that the Joint Committee feel would enhance and strengthen the Bill.

“I would like to express my sincere thanks to the witnesses and to the organisations who provided written submissions for their assistance to the Committee and to the Members for their work in this process. The Joint Committee looks forward to the Bill’s progression through the Houses of the Oireachtas and on engaging on the Bill again at Committee stage.”

The Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach has 14 Members, nine from the Dáil and five from the Seanad.