Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The bank has decided to withdraw its services from branches in many small towns and urban areas. It has gone cashless in many of its facilities. The committee welcomes that the bank has taken a different decision from AIB and Ulster Bank, in not closing its physical premises. However, it offers no currency exchange. People can no longer lodge coins or withdraw cash from across the counter. Basically there is no longer any counter in many of Bank of Ireland's branches. This seems to have been done without consultation with the general public who are very annoyed about it as we hear in our constituencies. There seems to be a drip-drip process of withdrawing services from its customers who have made the bank extremely profitable. I believe Bank of Ireland recorded €1 billion in profits last year. The response from the customers who provide profits and pay salaries is to withdraw those services. Some of those individuals are very vulnerable.

On top of that the bank has decided to install machines that do not provide for our national language to be used despite a very bold and good decision the bank took 15 years ago to provide services through the Irish language. With a new CEO coming into the bank, is there any chance that it will take a different attitude to services in communities so that people can withdraw cash, go in and talk to somebody behind the counter, lodge coins, get currency exchange or whatever, which people see as traditional methods of banking? When Bank of Ireland upgrades its internal models, which I understand will happen next year with a new ICT programme, will it consider allowing for the Irish language in its ATMs?