Lorraine Higgins (Labour)

Before raising an important issue, I commend the CEO of ISME, Mr. Mark Fielding, and Deputy Michael McGrath of Fianna Fáil on backing my calls to have Ulster Bank waive its fees to customers and to have the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform use its powers to deal with this issue. I seek also that the Minister for Finance would come to this House to debate the fiasco at Ulster Bank and the impact it is having on the lives of those 100,000 people who do not know whether they will have wages or social welfare entitlements in their accounts this week. I seek the Minister's presence in the House in circumstances where the bank's response to this debacle has been lamentably poor and his intervention in the matter is needed. I have been waiting for days for Ulster Bank and its parent company, Royal Bank of Scotland, to respond to my letters. If neither is prepared to respond to me with urgency, what hope do we have they will resolve this matter quickly?

I call on the Minister to come before the House to debate three specific issues, namely, the need to address charges for accounts at this time, the need to address the issue of customers' credit ratings and the need to reimburse costs incurred by customers when contacting the Ulster Bank helpline. Several days after this fiasco commenced, it is still impossible for customers to see up-to-date balances. The bank has also warned of the possibility of further bumps on the road. Short of running out of money, it is difficult to think of a more serious issue for the bank. This is the most widespread customer service failure in my memory and the bank's reaction to it thus far has been a disgrace.