Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

That is a massive drop in the staff based on the numbers which they have given us, which I presume are the nice numbers, of temporary and contract positions. They do not come anywhere near those.

Some banks are talking about 70 additional staff, which is a drop in the ocean. Will the witnesses explain what is happening for customers of Ulster Bank who go into a branch of a receiving bank to open an account? We had testimony at this committee that people must wait five days for an appointment on average. Is that the same across the State? Is it universal? I come from Donegal and made the point that Ulster Bank had a heavy concentration in the Border region. Maybe it is easier to get an appointment in Wexford where the bank might not have had as big a footprint as it did in Donegal, Cavan or Monaghan. Have the witnesses information from their members about what is happening with appointments to open accounts?