Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)

Last evening's news featured a report about a bank which has targeted children at a school in Wexford by urging them to open current accounts offering incentives such as bars of chocolate and bags of crisps. This is a hypocritical stance given that banks are closing down small branches in many towns. The Bank of Ireland and AIB have withdrawn services in several towns, including Mountbellew in County Galway, Doneraile in County Cork, Ballagh and Crossmolina in County Mayo and Ballinamore in County Leitrim. From next week onwards, Glenamaddy in County Galway will no longer have a Bank of Ireland branch because the company is withdrawing services from the town and asking residents to use its branch in Roscommon.

While I am in favour of encouraging people, particularly young people, to save, the unscrupulous marketing under way in schools contrasts with what is taking place in smaller towns. Banks should have a marketing strategy under which instead of asking people to travel long distances to larger towns to do banking business, they invest in their local branches to make them attractive and suitable places to do business. I call for a debate on this issue.