Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to stay on this issue and ask a couple of supplementary questions because many references were made in that exchange to engagement with the banks. On the duty of care, what engagement has the Governor or his colleagues at the Central Bank, to whom I am very grateful for coming before us, had with the utility companies? This is moving beyond the direct role of the banks. One of the key issues, which Deputy Doherty alluded to, is the whole issue of direct debits and the fact that so many utility companies will only take instruction from the customer rather than the bank. We are talking about 1 million accounts that contain multiple direct debits set up to pay not just mortgages but gas and electricity bills and Lord knows what else. What level of engagement has there been? Again, I have to come back to this point. Is the account switching code fit for purpose and up to scratch?