John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

If Mr. Ryan does not mind, I will stick with Mr. O'Donnellan on that very relevant point. When one hears news reports about many AIB bank branches around the country not having computers or not being linked up to the Internet, one may not be surprised by what Mr. O'Donnellan has just said. People will be concerned about State-owned banks having that kind of skills deficit. He picked out those three areas and said they are not fit for purpose with regard to the modern technology economy, geographical issues, markets outside the UK and the EU and the global economy. He also pointed to issues relating to certain kinds of products. Bankers have been telling me for some time that foreign banks located here are taking advantage of the deficits that exist in our banks and are doing so not just from the standpoint of an information or skills deficit within banks but also the lending regimes. Could I explore this issue with Mr. O'Donnellan? He said there is ground to be made up. It is a serious issue. The question is what needs to be happen.