Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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1700. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development his plans to facilitate a greater share of the banking market here by post offices through the facilitation of a community banking service comparable to a model (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37620/17]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The programme for a Partnership Government envisaged that An Post, the Irish League of Credit Unions and other interested stakeholders would be asked to investigate and propose a new model of community banking, based on overseas models, which could potentially be delivered,inter alia, through the post office network.

My officials have been working actively with the Department of Finance over the last number of months to progress these commitments.In addition, a public consultation process, seeking views on the community banking model, was launched in early March and ran for four weeks. A total of 16 replies were received from a range of stakeholders and all submissions have been reviewed and considered.

My officials, along with Department of Finance officials, also met with the Sparkassen Foundation for International Co-operation in relation to the German Sparkassen model in particular, and obtained detailed information from that organisation.

The Departmental officials are currently finalising a report on the merits of establishing a local public banking model in Ireland. Their work is now nearing completion and a report will be submitted to me and to the Minister for Finance shortly for consideration.