Ms Francesca McDonagh:

That is the feedback I have received, but it was not a policy. Every branch has people in it to serve our customers. Some branches are self-service and offer advice only. Some provide a full service. We are getting a better balance between what is and is not a full service and increasing the number on the front line. As well as increasing the number of branches that offer a full service, we have also increased the number of people on the front line by over 100. That is a very tangible example of the commitment we have made to improving customer service on the front line and responding to feedback from our customers.

We would never want to turn a customer away when they need our help.