I wish to highlight, as Minister for Finance, I am precluded from intervening in commercial and operational decisions in any particular bank, even one in which the State has a shareholding. Decisions in this regard are the sole responsibility of the board and management of the banks, which must be run on an independent and commercial basis. The bank's independence is protected by a Relationship Framework which is a legally binding document that cannot be changed unilaterally. This framework, which is publicly available, was insisted upon by the European Commission to protect competition in the Irish market.
Notwithstanding the above, Department of Finance officials contacted AIB in relation to this matter and were advised that EBS is continuing to invest in its digital capability, distribution network and customer proposition in order to support a growing number of customers seeking to buy a home. In line with this support for their customers, EBS is also undergoing a number of strategic changes that build on this proposition. Department of Finance officials were advised that in the event of any developments to EBS' services, EBS will notify their customers accordingly.
Department of Finance officials have also contacted the Central Bank of Ireland on this matter, while they were unable to provide a response within the timeframe required, their response will be sent directly to the Deputy once it has been received.