I support the motion, and I thank the Minister for proposing it. The statutory rule reinstates a small but significant scheme that grants a rates exemption to ATMs situated in rural wards. Owing to a change in valuation case law, the scheme now applies only to a small number of ATMs that are valued individually, such as those outside petrol stations or on main streets.

As an MLA for a rural constituency, I know all too well the essential service that ATMs provide in rural areas. Rural dwellers rely heavily on cash to access goods and services, and, in many towns and villages, ATMs are the only means of accessing cash. Many people prefer to use cash to pay for goods and services, and that personal choice must be respected. Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly difficult for rural dwellers to access cash, as towns and villages across the North lose their ATM provision.

In recent years, many of the major banks have closed their rural branches, abandoning communities and leaving them without face-to-face banking services. Lisnaskea lost its last bank branch in March, when Ulster Bank decided to withdraw from the town. That corporate decision was made in London with zero regard for the communities in south-east Fermanagh. Today, there is no 24-hour cash access in the town. The loss of that bank branch has been a huge blow not only to Lisnaskea but to the surrounding towns and villages that it has served for decades.

The cost-of-living crisis and the rise of large online retailers make it difficult for rural businesses to turn a profit. ATMs are an essential driver for economic activity on our rural main streets and have a key role in rural regeneration. The statutory rule is an important step in protecting the rural ATMs that remain, and I hope that it will act as an incentive to rural businesses to provide ATM services in the near future.