Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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28. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of workers outsourced at each of the State backed banks; and the plans of each of the banks to outsource further. [45967/14]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware under the Relationship Frameworks the State does not intervene in the day to day operations of the banks or their management decisions regarding commercial matters. Any staff who transfer under outsourcing arrangements transfer under the TUPE regulations.

I have recently answered a parliamentary question on the same topic as follows:

With regard to the number of staff employed, AIB and PSTB have provided me with the following information:

AIB

AIB s disclosures in relation to employee numbers are made twice yearly in its Annual and Half-Yearly Reports. In its 2014 Half-Yearly Financial Report the bank stated that it had 11,385 employees as at 30 June 2014. AIB manages outsourcing within its commercial business requirements and enters into arrangements with service providers to deliver a range of services not conducted by the bank. It is up to each service provider to manage the number of staff required to fulfil l the contract it enters into with AIB. AIB does not disclose details of individual or collective contracts on confidentiality grounds.

AIB continues to manage its cost base and is on track to reduce operating costs by €350m in 2014 relative to 2012 levels.

PTSB

Staff numbers are included in the Annual and Half-Yearly reports published by the bank. PTSB has also confirmed that it has a small number of outsourcing arrangements with c.70 outsourced staff.

In the case of Bank of Ireland disclosures in relation to employees are made twice yearly in its Annual and Interim Reports. In its 2014 Interim report the bank stated that it had 11,386 employees as at 30 June 2014. The bank does not provide staff numbers in relation to outsourcing arrangements.

In addition to this, each of the banks provided further details of its outsourcing arrangements as part of the questionnaire prepared in advance of their recent appearance at the meeting of the Committee for Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform. The banks responses in this regard covered:

- functions that have been outsourced;

- companies with which the banks have outsourcing arrangements; and,

- total staff numbers.

The completed questionnaire for each of the banks is available on the Oireachtas website.