Protect Access to Cash

That the Parliament recognises what it sees as the trend of declining cash usage in society; believes that this process has been driven by various digital and demographic changes, but also by the habit of charging people for access to their own cash; considers that it accelerated over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, with some reports suggesting that cash usage may have reduced by as much as half at the height of lockdowns; understands that the move to a cash-free society may seem inevitable; is concerned, however, that those who do still rely on cash, including the unbanked, those receiving benefits and victims of abuse, are at risk of becoming further excluded, and calls on the Scottish Government to take action to protect access to cash, by removing the charging of non-domestic rates for cash machines, and closely examining what other measures can protect cash as a viable method of payment in society.