Judith Cochrane MLA said: “I am glad that the Payments Council have listened to the public and decided against axing cheques by 2018. I had previously written to them and met with their representatives to raise the concerns of constituents regarding this.
“If we got rid of cheques completely then we would have seriously disadvantaged the elderly who still rely on them to manage their finances. Charities and small businesses would have also lost out.
“Local schools had contacted me, raising concerns as to how they would collect money for school trips in the event that cheques were abolished. They were worried that with the removal of cheques young children would have to carry more cash to school.”
ENDS