Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

I suppose we will get no further on that one. Mr. Boucher and the bank expressed gratitude to the taxpayers for the input of capital and taxpayer's funds. If he is truly grateful, why has the bank introduced really mean-spirited banking charges that will hit precisely the poorest and most vulnerable? For example, under the bank's new regime, customers must keep €3,000 permanently in a current account or incur charges. Agencies like the Consumers' Association of Ireland and those at the coalface of people enduring poverty and difficulty have heavily criticised these types of extra charges that hit ordinary people. How does Mr. Boucher justify them?