Mr. John O'Connell:

It is probably a mixture. Much of it is physically owned but the Deputy will have seen in the past few days how all of the banks are reducing their footprint, particularly in the capital with regard to head offices, because much of their workforce is working remotely and they are rationalising their footprint. I think AIB envisaged going from eight to three offices with support staff over a number of years. This is assisted by home working, in which many of our colleagues are engaged. To their credit, it is not just the people who have worked in branch banking during Covid but people who have worked at their kitchen tables and in their bedrooms who have kept the banking system open. This is why people in Ulster Bank, who have really been successful in supporting the bank, are as upset as they are to find themselves in the current situation.