Mr. Liam McLoughlin:

We thank the Joint Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs for the invitation to attend this morning and to contribute on the topic of maintaining an effective service and presence in rural communities. To assist the committee, we have submitted a short presentation in advance and my remarks this morning will follow the layout of that presentation.

The Bank of Ireland Group provides a broad range of banking and other financial services. These services include current account and deposit services, overdrafts, term loans, mortgages, business and corporate lending, asset financing, leasing and instalment credit, invoice discounting, foreign exchange facilities, interest and exchange rate hedge instruments, life assurance, pension and protection products. There are a number of ways in which Bank of Ireland services the needs of our customers in communities. We do this through lending, for example, to support customers to own homes and grow their businesses. We do this by providing services via our extensive retail bank branch network and by giving customers access to 24-7, a form of banking service which they increasingly demand.

Bank of Ireland is the largest lender to the Irish economy. In the first half of 2016, we advanced new and increased lending of €3.5 billion to Irish businesses and consumers serving approximately 1.7 million personal and 183,000 business customers in Ireland. We are Ireland's number one business bank providing 50% of new lending to SMEs and the agricultural sector. Through these lending activities, Bank of Ireland is an active part of the life of every community in the country. We maintain a highly visible and highly active involvement in communities the length and breadth of the country. Our branch network is a core component of this involvement and of the service we provide to other communities. While some institutions have significantly reduced their branch network or withdrawn from the market entirely, we have maintained our strong, countrywide presence with no rural bank closures in the past five years. We continue to invest in our network. Today Bank of Ireland has the largest retail branch network of any bank in Ireland with 250 branches nationwide. This is a very significant branch footprint and one which gives us an unparalleled presence in communities in all parts of the country.

Over-the-counter business and personal transactions make up only 4% of total transactions with customers and more than seven in ten of our customers are now active online. Therefore, as well as offering Ireland's largest retail branch network, we augment our branch presence by approximately 1,770 self-service devices nationwide for our customers, as well as working with 440,000 customers who actually use mobile devices for their banking needs. It is also important to state that we view our branch network as being about more than banking transactions. Our branch network is increasingly a focus for our support for local communities, for start-up companies, entrepreneurs, innovators and for local community groups.

Bank of Ireland has a very active enterprise development programme primarily delivered through our 250 strong branch network. Twice a year, in May and November, Bank of Ireland organises national enterprise week. During these weeks, a range of activities focused on supporting SMEs in start-ups takes place. Most of these events take place in local branches where small businesses are invited to showcase their business to advertise their products and services and to meet new and existing customers. We also offer small businesses the opportunities to access credit clinics and participate in relevant information sessions.

During national enterprise week in May 2016, Bank of Ireland hosted 750 events countrywide with approximately 2,900 businesses taking part. All events were free and were open to business and the public. Our next enterprise week starts next Friday.

In addition, in this year alone Bank of Ireland will host up to 100 enterprise town events nationwide, investing more than €1 million in the programme. Enterprise towns take place over two days and see local business communities, along with sports, social and charitable organisations, hosting a major community event that is open to the public. This event allows each town to showcase all it has to offer, supporting the local economy, connecting businesses and raising the visibility of what is happening in the towns and villages and potential opportunities for business development. In the weeks up to Christmas Bank of Ireland enterprise towns are scheduled to take place in Carndonagh, Askeaton, Midleton, Tullow, Claremorris, New Ross, Swords, Smithfield, Headford, Carrigaline, Trim, Montrose, Balbriggan, Rathcoole, Skibbereen, Bagenalstown, Loughrea, Listowel, Castlecomer, Kilmacud, Malahide, Ballybay, Charleville, Mountmellick, Castlerea, Ballymahon, Kildare and Newcastle West.

The support of innovation and entrepreneurship is also an important component of the work of local branches. Since 2015, Bank of Ireland has pioneered the development of spaces within branches which support start-up companies and entrepreneurs. These spaces, referred to as workbenches, offer working and meeting places for entrepreneurs free of charge. The bank now offers workbench space in a number of branches in Dublin, Cork and Galway with a further workbench to open next Friday in Limerick. So far, more than 500 start-up companies have used a Bank of Ireland workbench to help get their business up and running.

A significant component of our offering to local communities is the work we do with customers and members of the public to support them in the use of new technology, be that computers, Internet or the use of smartphones. Bank of Ireland has a team of advisers, called digital arrows, whose role is to bring digital training, support and knowledge to community groups and customers across Ireland. The arrows engage with active retirement groups, transition year students, business customers, farmers and community groups, holding events in local hotels, community halls and libraries, and offer practical guidance on how to use new technology in a range of ways, from communicating with relatives abroad, shopping online to using digital channels for banking. Bank of Ireland now has a digital arrow on each of its 250 branches nationwide and nearly 3,000 sessions have been held with senior customers so far this year, including many sessions in nursing homes and with active retirement groups.

Bank of Ireland recognises that it is a service provider to people of every age. Just as we support customers to gain fluency and proficiency in the use of technology, we also must understand the needs and expectations of younger people in society. We support creative sponsorships in the fashion world with Junk Kouture, in the technology space with CoderDojo and with BizWorld we teach children how to run a business and to provide product to market. These sponsorship are impactful to local communities, allowing young people to express themselves creatively and to gain new skills. Our branch footprint is utilised to support these sponsorships and the community engagement they facilitate.

Finally, as set out in slide 13, there is the broader work of our colleagues in both central offices and our branch network. Bank of Ireland's corporate social responsibility programme aims to have a positive impact on every community in which we operate. The bank's charitable giving scheme, Give Together, has raised over €25.5 million since its inception in 2007, supporting over 1,500 charities across Ireland.

In conclusion, my presentation has set out a number of elements of the service and presence offering from Bank of Ireland nationwide. This offering includes our position as largest lender to the Irish economy, the most extensive retail branch network in Ireland and the support for enterprise and innovation that takes place across the network. This also includes the engagement the bank has with local communities through our corporate social responsibility, CSR, programme, our youth sponsorships which support the integrated development of young people and our engagements which support digital skills development among our customers and the wider public.