Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I suggest that before renewing all banking licences in the country, the Minister for Finance should liaise with the Central Bank and co-ordinate a plan of the facilities the banks are obliged to provide under their licences, which I would suggest they probably are not providing. I was horrified recently to hear a litany of abject neglect by the banking sector of its customers. As many people know, they do not want to deal directly with cash but I was shocked to hear that many hotels, supermarkets and public houses are now paying their staff in cash. I could not believe that. That is something one heard about 20 years ago. If one has a cash lodgement to make of more than €20,000, the banks will force one to use Securicor or some other security company to collect the money and pay the expense of that.

The banks are becoming faceless and the greater offenders are the ones we bailed out the heaviest during the recession. The banks owe their existence to the State. On renewal of the banks' licences, I advocate pressurising them into giving commitments to the services they are obliged to provide. I ask that we invite the Minister to the House to discuss the problem with the banking sector and the services banks are currently providing.