Joe O'Reilly: Urges action on rural bank closures and ATMs
Joe O'Reilly spoke in the House in support of Senator Byhan's concerns about rural bank closures and ATM access, and requested a response from the minister. He said banks have closed across rural Ireland and called for an inventory and a monitoring process to ensure ATM coverage and reliable cash availability.
He rose to back his good friend and colleague Senator Byhan, describing the matter as huge and saying the senator's point was well made and important.
He warned that banks have closed all over rural Ireland and said this has effectively deserted rural communities, stressing the need for an ATM network to replace lost branch access.
He urged the inventory that Senator Byhan proposed and said a monitoring process is needed to ensure a good spread of ATM machines so no place with a reasonable population or that is a centre of access would be without one.
He highlighted practical problems at weekends, saying many ATMs are not properly stocked and often run out of money on Saturday afternoons, leaving people stranded on Sundays.
He welcomed the minister to the House, praised the minister's skills and dedication, and said he would be interested in the minister's response to these rural banking and ATM concerns.
Support for Senator Byhan
He rose to back his good friend and colleague Senator Byhan, describing the matter as huge and saying the senator's point was well made and important.
Bank and ATM closures across rural Ireland
He warned that banks have closed all over rural Ireland and said this has effectively deserted rural communities, stressing the need for an ATM network to replace lost branch access.
Call for an inventory and monitoring process
He urged the inventory that Senator Byhan proposed and said a monitoring process is needed to ensure a good spread of ATM machines so no place with a reasonable population or that is a centre of access would be without one.
Weekend cash shortages and practical problems
He highlighted practical problems at weekends, saying many ATMs are not properly stocked and often run out of money on Saturday afternoons, leaving people stranded on Sundays.
Request to the minister
He welcomed the minister to the House, praised the minister's skills and dedication, and said he would be interested in the minister's response to these rural banking and ATM concerns.
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Transcript
I would like to welcome my very good personal friend. We served in the past on committees together and Minister Connie to the House. I do not think I had the occasion to either welcome you or congratulate you and it has been a privilege to have worked with you in another capacity before so it is great to see you here as a minister and I know you bring a lot of skill and dedication to the role. I rise to support my good friend and colleague Senator Byhan on this important matter. It is a huge issue. We have had the banks close all over rural Ireland and now we need to know and need an assurance and I am awaiting your response too. We need that inventory that Senator Byhan talks about but we need a monitoring process to ensure that we actually have a good spread of ATM machines throughout the country that no place with a reasonable population or that is a centre of access would be without an ATM machine and I would say one of the great problems as well is that at the weekend a lot of their ATM machines are not properly stocked with money and they tend to run out of money on a Saturday afternoon or whatever and leave people stranded on a Sunday it is quite a problem and it is a real issue now that the banks have deserted you could say effectively rural Ireland we need the ATM machines and we need a network of them and I would be interested in the minister's response. I certainly support Senator Byhan. I think it is a point well made and an important one. Thank you.