Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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It must be acknowledged that the Financial Services Ombudsman is very proactive on this issue and has engaged with us on this. I want to look at one of the thematic areas, namely, data protection. This should be apparent to the Central Bank at this stage but I want to get the bank's assessment of this. In the bank's examinations to date, has it found that there are glaring gaps in how data protection law was applied to individual customers when they sought information on specific telephone calls, dates of engagement or correspondence they had? I understand that when complaints were made or when people sought to interact with their bank, especially on the options issue, and again I am talking about PTSB, there were glaring inaccuracies in some instances in how the bank interpreted that engagement. Also, the bank refused in some instances to acknowledge that telephone calls had taken place or that particular correspondence was entered into. When people sought to have records furnished, they were not furnished, or if they were, they might have been furnished inaccurately or less than adequately. I want to ensure that from a consumer protection point of view into the future, where people have issues with their mortgages, a robust system is in place to ensure the data protection element provides protection to the consumer.

I hope the Central Bank will address that matter.