Question reference: S5O-02318
- Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 29 August 2018
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Current status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 5 September 2018
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with banks and the UK Government regarding branch closures.
Answer
Bank branch closures are a matter of great concern, affecting communities across Scotland with no constituency unaffected.
Whilst the regulation of banking services remains a reserved issue, Scottish Government ministers have been in regular contact with both the UK Government and Scotland's banking community to ensure that the high street banks' future strategy for Scotland takes into account the needs of customers, local communities and staff.
Specifically, the then Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, Keith Brown, together with Paul Wheelhouse in his role as Minister for Business, Innovation and Industry raised the matter at meetings of the Financial Services Advisory Board (FiSAB). They convened a round table meeting with representatives of Scotland's retail banks to discuss the future of banking in Scotland.
Mr Wheelhouse spoke with and wrote to the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, setting out the Scottish Government's concerns and asking what action the UK Government would take to preserve access to essential banking services and to mitigate the impact of these branch closures on individual customers, communities and business affected.