UK Payments Council 'Must Not' Have Power to Abolish Cheques
The industry-dominated UK 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 said in a report published on 24 August 2011.
The committee welcomed the belated decision of the council to retain cheques, but warned the Payments 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 chairman of the committee, Andrew Tyrie, said: “Cheques have been saved, for the moment, but we need to remain vigilant. The incentives for the industry to get rid of cheques has not gone away. Neither have we. That is why we are making far–reaching recommendations about the future of the Payments Council as well as to secure the future of cheques.
“The Payments Council is an industry-dominated body with no effective public accountability. It should not have unfettered power to take decisions on matters, such as the future of cheques, or other issues, that are of vital importance to millions of people. This is why we have recommended that the Council be brought within the formal regulatory system.
“The decision of the Payments Council in December 2009 to set a target date of 2018 for the abolition of cheques was taken without an assessment of the costs and benefits and without providing any indication of what alternatives to cheques would be put in place. Banks have also given many customers the impression that the abolition of cheques was a foregone conclusion. This type of behaviour is unacceptable and cannot be allowed to continue.
“The Payments Council’s decision caused great and unnecessary concern among bank customers. And during the course of the Treasury Committee’s inquiry it became clear that the Council’s plans did not have the confidence or support of the public, Parliament or the Government,” he concluded.
The report also called on the Payments Council to examine reintroducing the cheque guarantee card system that was withdrawn earlier this year.