Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to record my appreciation of the efforts of my local authority, Leitrim County Council, and the elected councillors in advancing the development of a caravan and canoe facility at Lough Rynn estate near Mohill, in County Leitrim, which was officially launched last Friday by the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Michael Ring. Almost €1 million was invested in this state-of-the-art facility which will attract international rowers and those from Northern Ireland due to its central location. However, there is a need to complete the project and I call on the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and his Department to ensure that does not remain on the back burner, so to speak. It is vitally important that the remaining amount of money be made available in this year's budget. I am sure we will have an opportunity to debate issues such as this with the Minister who indicated that the sports capital programme would be continuing. The Leader might have a view on it.

I raise an issue which I believe is of public importance. Members on all sides of the House are familiar with the scamming of e-mails. We have all seen e-mails stating that if one does not respond, one's bank account will be shut down, and they want one's private details. However, it has become much more insidious in recent weeks in that there are now scam e-mails circulating. I have received a number of them, and perhaps other colleagues, which purport to come from the Revenue Commissioners. They state that unless one fills in the relevant details, which is one's personal information, one will be denied tax refunds.

I have spoken to the Revenue Commissioners about this and they tell me that they have made it clear on their website that people are not to respond to these e-mails but I am taking the opportunity in this House of Parliament to put the issue on the record. I hope the general public might pick up on it, and the Leader may have a view on it also. It is vitally important that people not respond to these e-mails but, unfortunately, people do respond to them and lose money as a result. It is just one of a number of scams but it is particularly invidious in that it now purports to come from the Revenue Commissioners. I advise the members of the general public that when they get an e-mail requesting personal banking details it is not from their bank or the Revenue Commissioners because that is not the way they do business.

I have a particular criticism to make of one bank in particular in terms of the manner in which it handles its customer relations. I refer to Bank of Ireland. If anyone wants to talk to their local branch of Bank of Ireland using the number it provides, they will now get an automated menu, which it changed in recent weeks, that will keep them on the phone for a considerable amount of time and at considerable cost. I plead with Bank of Ireland to please get its act together in this regard. It says it has a customer service facility.