To ask the Minister of Finance for an update on his Department's work to make in-person banking facilities available in city and town centres across North Down.

My Department has no legislative authority to make in person banking facilities available in city and town centres across North Down or elsewhere.

I am however, deeply concerned by the continued loss of in-person banking services and the impact this is having on our towns, villages and rural communities, including in North Down. I am aware that over the last year LINK, the organisation responsible for the ATM network, has conducted four cash access assessments in North Down. Disappointingly, none of these resulted in recommendations for additional services.

I have consistently pressed on both the banks themselves, and those with responsibility for legislative and regulatory authority for banking matters, including the British government, to do more to protect branches and maintain access to in-person services here, especially for those most vulnerable in our society.

This includes sharing my 2025 Banking Roundtable report with the British Treasury and the Financial Conduct Authority, setting out a number of asks aimed at ensuring communities here retain access to face-to-face banking services.

I continue to press on the sector for the roll-out of banking hubs in areas impacted by branch closures. I also facilitated a LINK drop-in event in Parliament Buildings in December last year, providing MLAs with an opportunity to learn more about the process for requesting access to cash assessments in their constituencies.