Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is not confined to the North or to anywhere else. The owners of two businesses with ATMs in my own community, which is a small community with not many businesses, woke up this morning to find that their premises had been smashed into and thousands of euro of damage had been done. Many small businesses are already struggling to survive because of the punitive rates and charges that are put upon them. Something has to be done. Obviously, we need extra gardaí.However, we also need the ATMs. I am afraid that the banks will use this as an excuse to remove ATMs from this rural area. Senator Norris does not know what it is like to have to travel 30 km or 40 km to the nearest ATM but those who live in rural areas do. Something must be done to prevent ATMs being removed. The banks have a responsibility to act-----