Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I met recently with the parent bank of Ulster Bank. I met the new chief executive of Ulster Bank as well. There is some competition there. They have assured me Ulster Bank will remain in the Irish market. Ulster Bank is quite significant in the northern half of the country but also in Dublin. Between AIB, Bank of Ireland, Permanent TSB and Ulster Bank, there is quite a good presence. I hope that when banking union is completed, there will be opportunities for branches or subsidiaries of strong European banks to trade in Ireland. If the economy keeps growing by between 3% and 4%, there should be investment, but I have no indication of any take-up on that yet.

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