Mr. Gerry Mallon:

We continue to review branches based on what customers demand. We measure what customers demand based on the extent to which they use our branches and how they engage with us. If customers come into a branch much less frequently then obviously its viability decreases. We are incredibly cognisant of the need to support customers in every location. That is why, for example, we have our relationship with An Post. There are 1,100 locations where people can make deposits, cash a cheque, withdraw cash with a debit card and can get a balance. It is about trying to find the right level of support in every location. In some locations, a branch may be viable whereas in other locations, we may look at the service RBS has regarding the mobile branches - the mobile vans. In other cases we also look at An Post; we look at our online capability; we look at our mobile capability and so on. There is investment across the spectrum in all sorts of areas. It is very difficult to give clear guarantees over the long-term sustainability of any individual channel when things are changing so much, particularly in how customers are choosing to use mobile technology.