Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In the first instance, the outcome of the retail banking review is an important piece of work. It contains 34 recommendations. We have gone from 13 retail banks down to three. The banking landscape has changed dramatically. The report is worth reading, and the Deputy should read it in its entirety. There are very interesting recommendations, including recommending that Government would put into legislation that citizens would have access to cash. In other words, that there would be a legislative obligation on banks to ensure access to cash for citizens. Some extremely interesting surveys were done into how people want access to cash even though they are using more digital mechanisms. This, of course, relates to the retail banking network and the availability of ATMs. It is a very important outcome of this review, along with consumer protection and the competition issue, the future of banking and changing technology in banks. The non-bank sector is an issue we have to address. These are all recommendations that have emanated from here.

See this speech in context