Sinn Féin Economy Spokesperson Caoimhe Archibald today led a Sinn Féin delegation to meet with Bank of Ireland’s senior management to challenge its proposal to close 103 branches across Ireland.

Caoimhe Archibald said:

“At today’s meeting with Bank of Ireland, I, along with Sinn Féin colleagues Paul Maskey MP and John Finucane MP, challenged the bank’s intention to push ahead with branch closures.

“Sinn Féin fully supports the calls from the Financial Services Union that there should be a moratorium on closures until the end of 2022.

“I also reminded the bank’s management of the guidance of the Financial Conduct Authority that there should not be branch closure during the pandemic.

“While it was reassuring to hear that planned closures will not lead to compulsory redundancies for staff, the closure of branches will disproportionately impact rural communities and older or more vulnerable customers who may be less likely to avail of online services.

“I also made the point that Post Offices will not be able to facilitate the loss of more complex services currently done in local branches and also the importance of night safes for some businesses including rural areas.

“Sinn Féin will continue to challenge the rationale for these closures and highlight the impact the loss of services will have on towns and villages.”