Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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82. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will request an explanation from a bank (details supplied) the reason a branch of the bank in Ballyhaunis, County Mayo has remained closed during the Covid-19 crisis; when it will reopen; if the matter of financial institutions using the Covid-19 crisis to close local branches will be raised with the Central Bank; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8884/20]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, I have engaged, and will continue to engage, extensively with the Banking and Payments Federation (BPFI) and the banks directly in relation to supports for personal and business customers affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Furthermore, officials in my Department are alert to issues raised directly by the public and these inform the Department’s ongoing engagement process and policy formation. All the banks, Bank of Ireland included, have continued to evolve and expand the supports they have available and I would expect that this process will continue.

Bank of Ireland has introduced a wide variety of solutions designed to help both personal and business customers affected by the COVID-19 crisis including mortgage breaks and cash flow supports for businesses.

The Deputy may also be aware that, as Minister for Finance, I am precluded from intervening in how Bank of Ireland manages its day-to-day business and relationship with any of its customers.  Decisions in this regard are solely the responsibility of the board and management of the bank which must be run on an independent and commercial basis. The independence of the banks in which the State has a shareholding is protected by Relationship Frameworks which are legally binding documents that cannot be changed unilaterally. These frameworks which are publicly available, were insisted upon by the European Commission to protect competition in the Irish market.

Notwithstanding this, officials in the Department have requested a comment from Bank of Ireland in relation to the manner in which it is managing its branch network during the current crisis and have received the following response:

“Due to COVID-19 Bank of Ireland has made a number of operational changes to safeguard critical services during the pandemic, respond to a significant shift in how customers are banking, and support social distancing requirements.

"To safeguard critical services we prioritised one hundred and sixty one of our larger branches nationwide, as well as our contact centres and online banking which have seen a surge in use over recent months. One hundred and one mainly smaller locations, which had seen a sharp drop in usage, were closed. Colleagues from these locations have been supporting our contact centres and online services manage high volumes of requests, as well as our larger branches where social distancing can be better maintained.

"We’re continuing to see shifts in customer behaviour towards online banking channels, and social distancing requirements remain in place. Our focus therefore remains on protecting the prioritised services across one hundred and sixty one branches, telephone and online banking, while keeping all developments under active review.”

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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83. To ask the Minister for Finance if human rights and equality training will be provided for the directors of the Central Bank and the State-appointed directors of other banks in line with the recommendation from the A Lost Decade - Study on Mortgage Possession Court Lists in Ireland report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8965/20]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the Central Bank, and by the relevant commercial banks, that the following arrangements are in place for the training of their directors (in the case of the Central Bank, the members of the Central Bank Commission), relevant to the Deputy’s question:

Central Bank of Ireland

The Central Bank is conscious of its responsibility in ensuring that the principles of human rights and equality are embedded across its work.

The Central Bank provides ongoing training to the members of the Central Bank Commission, primarily through seminars relating to the work of the Bank and its mandate. Commission members are also offered training in governance as and when suitable external courses and programmes are available.

The Central Bank is committed to being a socially responsible and sustainable organisation in how it delivers on its mandate and mission. As a public service organisation, the Central Bank’s obligation to meet its public sector duty is a key part of this wider commitment. In preparing the Central Bank’s Strategic Plan, an assessment of the human rights and equality issues, relevant to the functions of the Central Bank, was carried out.

The Strategic Plan sets out that the Central Bank will ensure:

- Engagement with the public through communications and outreach strategies as part of its commitment to corporate and social responsibility.

- All members of the public who receive services from the Central Bank are provided a professional, efficient and courteous service as set out in the Customer Charter.

- The implementation of its People Strategy promotes and supports the equality and human rights of staff.

- The public is consulted on Central Bank policy developments and the obligations under the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission 2014 Act will be considered by the Central Bank, where relevant, in the development of such policies.

The Central Bank plays a role in promoting sound governance and culture across its regulated entities through the publication of reports on key Diversity and Inclusion data.

AIB

The Nomination & Corporate Governance Committee, on behalf of the AIB Board, has identified a number of key skills required of its directors, including retail and commercial banking, risk management, strategy development, stakeholder management, digital focus, customer focus, culture, leadership and governance. Diversity is also an important factor in succession planning both at Board and Executive level and has resulted in both the Board and Executive Committee reaching the highest levels of gender balance in the Group’s history. The current culture across the Group and its cultural ambitions were front and centre of the Board’s mind in 2019. The Board is committed to creating and nurturing the right culture in AIB and is fully engaged in the bank’s culture programme, dedicating significant agenda time for discussion, debate and providing overall direction to the development of the programme.

Bank of Ireland

Each Bank of Ireland director receives an induction plan tailored to his or her specific requirements. The continuous development requirements of the Board and individual directors, as required, are met through the provision of Group Board training, presentations, site visits and individual bespoke training sessions as required.

In addition to collective education and development programmes in 2019, individual Directors actively engaged in one to one focus sessions with Management on topics such as vulnerable customers, SMEs, the Irish Mortgage Market, technology transformation and the Irish Economy.

The Board oversees the Group’s cultural transformation which continues to strengthen, with colleague engagement and positive culture indicators continuing to improve. The Board sets the tone from the top and, with executive management, is focused on ensuring that the Bank conducts its business responsibly and ethically at all times.

Permanent TSB

The PTSB Board training programme is applicable to all Directors and is reviewed on an ongoing basis. Diversity and Inclusion workshops formed part of the training programme for Directors in 2019, is an ongoing topic at Board and Board Committee meetings, and will form part of future Board training programmes. The Board is the owner of the Bank’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.