Ms Julie Sadlier:

Deputy Doherty's question to me was about banks and the issues of engagement. What has happened in banking over the past five to six years while we have been having forbearance has been that they have changed their whole system on arrears support from relationship-branch banking connections with clients to a remote arrears support unit - nameless, faceless, tele-call centre managed. We step in on behalf of vulnerable clients to try to deal with these organisations and we are finding it impossible to deal with them, and we are professionals used to navigating all kinds of systems.

I had an instance two weeks ago where we got a phone call from a bank and a girl left her first name. I phoned back some time later when I was free and I asked for that girl. The man I spoke to had never heard of that girl, who had an unusual name. I spoke to him and said that I needed to talk about the client. He said there was a note on the file that, because that girl had phoned looking for the client and then looking for me because the client asked her to call me, the client was now deemed not to be co-operating and he could not talk to me. The client then got a letter to say she was not co-operating. I have written to the bank detailing all this and so far they have not come back, but this is how it works. It is that bad. It is so ridiculous it is scary.