Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Can I just ask a question? I do not contest the figure of 70% of people banking online or digitally. Many people will do transactions digitally but would Ms Howard agree that a large proportion of people, far more than 30%, open a bank account in-branch? The numbers provided to the committee from other banks which have seen accounts opened in recent months, such as AIB, show that a large proportion, not 30%, of accounts are opened in-branch? There is a difference between setting up a direct debit online and actually opening up a new bank account. I say that because I think it is a false narrative to suggest that the fact that a large proportion of the population banks digitally means it is so easy to open an account. The statistics, and the reality on the ground, show that nearly one in two people go into a branch to open an account. They are not ready.