Banking Sector
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-29
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Robert Troy (FF), Longford-Westmeath

"Local deficiencies" is the term used in the legislation for where particular difficulties arise in accessing cash in NUTS 3 regions. Even if a region meets the designations but people locally feel that particular pockets within the overall region are adversely affected, there is the mechanism whereby a local person or representative can notify the Central Bank directly. The Central Bank will then assess each submission and determine whether that particular local geographical area warrants a remedy. There a very clear mechanism whereby local areas can ensure that access to cash is readily available. As a fourth-generation postmaster in a small village in Westmeath, what I would say is that, if people do not use services such as that, they will lose them. It is critical that people use the services that are there because we only miss the water when the well runs dry. Services such as the post office and credit union, particularly in rural Ireland, are critical for ensuring that people who are not banking literate have the ability to carry on their daily lives, pay their bills, access the cash, etc. I will put the call out there to use the services that are in people's localities because if they do not, they will lose them.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-29/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-29