Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have been struck by a couple of points. In Ms McDonagh's responses she talked about the money the Irish public contributed in the bank bailout being repaid. It is really important to be clear that while the money may have been repaid, the cost of the impact of austerity, the impact on people's lives - young lives - and five or ten years of missed opportunities and lost services has not been repaid. I will be frank. I am quite shocked to see there is a push for "normalisation", as it is being framed. It is not normal that we would have such a huge level of pay into the financial sector through the effective removal of the pay cap and the reintroduction of excessive pay incentives. The message I hear today is that we need to tighten our action and legislation on this in order that we do not see loopholes being exploited because clearly they will be.

The issue I really want to focus on, however, is the branch closures that have been announced. Ms McDonagh has framed this as a response to the digital demand, but we need to be clear. We know from EU statistics from just last year that 47% of the Irish public lack basic digital skills. That is the statistic from an EU analysis. Ireland is not a place where every single person has a smartphone in his or her hand. That is a bit of a myth. In that regard I am very concerned about the branch closures. What consultation will Bank of Ireland have with local communities on the branches? I think over 100 branches across the island might be closed. What social impact assessment or environmental impact assessment has been done of the longer distances and the longer wait times to access services? What engagement is there with local authorities on landmark buildings? Many Bank of Ireland branches are anchor or landmark buildings in towns across Ireland.

As for the post office proposal, is it Ms McDonagh's understanding that there will be a reversal of the planned 200 post office closures in respect of this deal? When she talks about the 900 post offices, does she anticipate that this partnership will in fact reverse post office closures in that regard?

The engagement with trade unions has been very disappointing from their perspective. What measures are in place to engage with trade unions? Is it the case that at the moment permanent staff who take voluntary redundancy are being replaced with temporary staff? Those questions relate to the branch closures.

Lastly, has the bank sold ATMs in the past year? Can Ms McDonagh confirm the bank's plans in respect of its network of ATMs across Ireland? That is a part of that service also.