Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

It is not coming through on mine. In a situation where 1.6 million people have less than €50 left per month after they have paid for essentials, €100 or €200 per year or an increase of around that level of charges is very significant. It is the difference between people being able to manage and not being able to do so. We are not exaggerating in expressing concern about it. This is the time when people can least afford it. The same is true when small and medium enterprises are literally hanging on for dear life in many cases.

Deputy Spring referred to the anomaly whereby transaction charges via ATM, which one would expect to be considerably lower than over-the-counter charges, are not lower because, yet again, the banks are profiteering. They are not passing on the reduction in costs from which they gain an advantage by cutting staff numbers and closing branches, thereby reducing the quality of service to customers. They are not passing that advantage on in terms of lower charges for the use of ATMs. Does Mr. Sheridan agree that this seems to be the obvious explanation?