Victor Boyhan urges mapping of ATMs to protect rural cash access

I suppose I won't delay, I'm very conscious there are no amendments to this bill. However, I did monitor this bill going through the Dáil, and this section 5 deals with the access to cash criteria, and I want to welcome it. I think it's really, really important. Indeed, myself and Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice were featured in Agri-Land, and I have it here in front of me, and they extensively covered it. And I suppose the talk was that banks, you know, the importance of ATMs in our rural communities and the distribution of them, and we've seen the exit of the Ulster Bank, we've seen the exit of other banks in the marketplace, we've seen machines being decommissioned, and I think it's really important we have cash. I spent a week in Portugal during the 17-hour, the week before last, during the 17-hour par cuts, and interestingly enough, there was an issue about the ATMs there, and of course no par, but cash is also important. But I just want to make that point onto that section. I think it's important. There was much discussion in the Dáil about this piece of legislation, and I think it was very much taken on board. Minister, so I want to thank you and the Department. But I think it really, really is important that particularly small communities that don't have access, don't have transport into big towns, and I think we've got to, you know, geographically map and mark out, because it's important. There's a commitment in this legislation that there'll be this distribution of ATMs around the country. But I don't know, Minister, do you know or anyone else know where they are currently, and I think we need to be mindful of that, we need to monitor that, and we need to talk to communities. But I think it's important there is a source of cash, and people sometimes like to go into town, they might not have transport, they might have no bus, they might have no connectivity, but they might go into town. That independence is important for people of all ages. Put that card in the wall and draw out their money for the week and manage it that way. So ATMs are critically important, and there are simple, relatively simple models. Just really to say, well done to all the people involved, glad that it was taken on board. It's really important, particularly for rural communities, that they have this, albeit automated, dispensing of cash. But they do have that. But I say one thing, Minister, I would ask at some stage, if you had the resources, of cooperation or coordination with the banks, that you would seek to map out and have an inventory of the locations of these ATMs so we wouldn't see them slowly slipping away. Thank you.