Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

That is an internal employee council. It is not an independent trade union.

My next questions are for both institutions. I am concerned, as are other members, about the position whereby people may have difficulty switching and opening new accounts in the context of direct debit payments with utility companies and so on. Will the witnesses from Ulster Bank and KBC talk the committee through what kind of engagement they have had with the utility companies and the regulator in this space? There is potential for huge difficulty and especially at this time when, as Deputy Doherty described, people are experiencing great demands on their household budgets. People are being put to the absolute pin of their collar and the last thing they need is the prospect of missed direct debit payments for bills for electricity, gas, TV subscriptions and telephone services. Will the bank representatives talk the committee through the processes they both engaged in with the utility companies and the relevant regulators?