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

I would hope someone has because surely it would be prudent to engage with the utility companies. As Deputy Doherty said, this will involve 1 million accounts in total with multiple direct debits going out covering a range of payments. If people have their electricity cut off because of a default on a payment, that is a huge worry. Surely the whole point of regulating the efficient departure, in due course, of two major banks from the Irish market is that this is a duty of care that must be adhered to. I am very concerned about consumers, particularly the large number coming from Ulster Bank, who, through no fault of their own, will be constrained by the code in place. They are trying to cover everything, and all of a sudden they find their lights turned off or they get arrears notices. There is a need for a level of proactivity in this case when two banks of such a scale are departing the market. Will the Central Bank engage with the utility companies? If the Governor has not done so, perhaps, following this meeting, he might find out exactly who would do so in the Central Bank.