Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I imagine the Minister is well aware that Ferbane is a small town in west Offaly. For almost a century it has had a branch of Ulster Bank at its centre. Long before RBS took over Ulster Bank or it grew in size and strength the people of Ferbane supported their local branch of Ulster Bank. They kept their savings in it; they borrowed from it to build their homes and finance their children's education. Local businesses were given their first start by it and stayed with it. The people of Kilcormac and Shannonbridge who previously used sub-offices have also stood by the bank. They, too, gave credence to the commitment given by Ulster Bank not to close the branch in Ferbane.

Some 4,000 people have availed of branch services. Now, unfortunately, this history has been placed under a dark shadow by a corporate decision by executives based in the vast sprawling building on George's Quay in Dublin. For them, the struggles of a small midlands town can be reduced to an accountancy exercise. However, the real impact of the branch closure will not be felt on asset sheets at Ulster Bank's headquarters; rather, it will be felt on the streets of Ferbane and countless other rural towns in County Offaly and throughout Ireland where, unfortunately, many bank branches are dying. The plight of Ferbane and the disregard shown towards the town and rural Ireland by Ulster Bank reflect a broader attitude which I fear is evident in the way in which the Government treats rural affairs at times.

The squeeze on small schools, the closure of 140 Garda stations, the threats to post offices and their contracts with Government Departments and the crippling burden of commercial rates are bleeding Irish towns dry. Fianna Fáil has highlighted these issues time and again. It is not as if we have remained on the sidelines; we have offered alternatives. I produced a document entitled Streets Ahead, which puts forward a road map by which Irish towns could be assisted in moving again.

The Government has continually failed to address the crux of the issue. What we are witnessing in the recovery that has been spoken about is the emergence of a fragile, two-tier recovery, where economic growth is confined to a few areas on the east coast and the larger cities while the rest of the country continues to suffer. We must ask ourselves if that is what we want for the country. Addressing the crisis which has been unfolding before our eyes like a slow-motion car crash must become a priority for the Government, businesses and corporates.

A situation emerged over the Christmas period at a shopping centre in Tullamore whereby the anchor tenant in the Church Road shopping centre, Dunnes Stores, opened its fire door onto the car park to allow customers easier access to the store, depriving other shops in the centre of valuable passing trade. It did so in defiance of the planning legislation that exists and the permission that was granted initially. That is just one example of the situation we are facing, when large businesses and corporates take advantage of their position and do not recognise the community spirit and ethos of many rural towns.

I ask the Minister and Fine Gael to step up to the plate and confront this crisis. The banks also need to recognise their important social role. The people of this country, as the Minister knows only too well, have stood by the banks in the past. It is now time to repay the favour, irrespective of the fact that Ulster Bank was not one of the banks to benefit from the assistance mentioned earlier.

Tomorrow the people of Ferbane and its hinterland will march on the midlands headquarters of Ulster Bank in Athlone. That march will provide them with the opportunity to inspire other towns, and the Government hopefully, to stop the rot and try to breathe life back into rural communities. I hope the Government recognises this and that the Minister will use his good offices and influence to impress upon the CEO of Ulster Bank, Mr. Jim Brown, to meet representatives of the community. Those representatives have already met high-placed officials from the bank and appreciate those meetings and the efforts made to try to assist the community in terms of continuing to exist in the absence of banking facilities. It should not stop there, however. I implore the Minister to use his influence to ensure that the CEO meets the community and hears their concerns directly. They were given a commitment in the past, not only locally, but by way of the charter of RBS itself, which declared that the bank would not leave any town in which there was no other bank in operation. That commitment has been thrown out of the cot at this stage.

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