Mr. Patrick Farrell:

Like the other two banks, we have, unfortunately, built up a core competency in this area. We will take the time to look after those customers who are in financial difficulty and help them when they come across.

The Senator also asked about more vulnerable customers, sometimes elderly customers, who need a bit of extra time and assistance. As I mentioned earlier, we have launched a "just a minute" programme in our branches. It helps those customers to identify that they just need that little bit of extra time and someone to talk to about the mad digital world. The majority are going into the digital world but we all know many people who need a little bit of time, attention and care. That time is available. Our colleagues around the country are offering support.

Mr. O'Keeffe mentioned his staff are visiting nursing homes and my colleagues around the country are also doing that. Even during the pandemic, they looked out for elderly customers who they noticed were not coming into the branch anymore. In some cases, they even did a weekly shop for those elderly customers.

There is a lot of care going on at local level that would not be seen at this level. Our colleagues do amazing work around the country. We have an enhanced care team in our contact centre. This is a special, dedicated line where the staff are not trained on average call times, call handling or anything of that nature. They are trained to spend time with the customer for as long as it takes, listen to what the customer needs to do, spend that time with them to help them move across and look after their needs. Hopefully, that gives the Senator some assurance.