Public Services Provision
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-28
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Frankie Feighan (FG), Sligo-Leitrim

It is an interesting question. The Deputy has seen that the Government can consult with banks, but we have a very limited role in that regard. I would like to think that banks would consult with each other. Consider the position of towns where there clearly is no need for two bank branches and both are closed. Instead of talking to each other and saying "Look, we will close our branch in this town and you close yours in the next town", they close both branches. Bank of Ireland could keep its branch in one place and AIB could leave its branch open in another location. There does not seem to be any consultation. If consultation has taken place, it does not, as the Deputy outlined, seem to have taken the needs of the people in rural communities into account.
It is good to see that the credit unions, for which I have a great deal of time, have taken up the challenge and are providing a banking culture and ATMs. The banks were a little hasty. They have their own business models, but I do not think they considered the needs of the people or discussed the matter with each other. Again, I want to pay tribute to the credit unions for stepping up to the plate and providing the services to which I refer.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-28/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-21T01:01:08+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-28