Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Treasury Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 60

ISBN-13: 9780215561190

The industry-dominated Payments Council should no longer have the unfettered power to decide the future of cheques, or other payment methods that directly affect millions of people, the Treasury Select Committee says in this report. Responding to concern from the general public and the Treasury Committee, the Payments Council announced on 12 July 2011 that cheques will continue for as long as customers need them and that the target for possible closure of the cheque clearing in 2018 had been cancelled. The Committee welcomes this belated decision of the Council to retain cheques, but warns the Council to ensure that the banks do not attempt to abandon cheques by stealth, nor deter customers from using cheques. The report recommends that: the Treasury should make provision in the forthcoming Financial Services Bill to bring the Payments Council formally within the system of financial regulation; the Council must obtain a commitment from the banks to give the Council advance sight of any material related to the future availability of cheques that the banks send to their customers; all banks should write to their customers stating that cheques will continue to be in use for the foreseeable future; the Payments Council should examine the reintroduction of the cheque guarantee card; changes be made to the composition of the Board of the Payments Council in order significantly to strengthen the voice of consumers.