Local Fianna Fáil TD and Minister of State, Deputy Robert Troy, has this week held discussions with senior officials in Bank of Ireland to discuss options for services in Moate into the future.
Key to the discussion was the future use for the Bank of Ireland building in the town and also the continuation of ATM services.
“Following last weeks announcement regarding the closure of the branch in Moate, I immediately moved to set up a meeting to put forward a very positive proposal on the future use of the existing Bank of Ireland building.
“Obviously, the loss of Bank of Ireland is a huge blow to the town and I felt this could be mitigated somewhat if the bank were willing to engage with the Credit Union and offer the premises for sale at a reasonable price.
“During the meeting I made it very clear that following years of successful and loyal business in the town it was now time for Bank of Ireland to give back to Moate by engaging positively with the Credit Union to ensure that this building can be maintained for banking services,” Deputy Troy stated.
On Monday morning Minister Troy met with Gavin Kelly, CEO of Retail Banking, Region, Alan Durkan, Regional Director and Paul O’Brien, Head of Communications, and they also discussed the continuation of ATM services on site.
“I am pleased that Bank of Ireland had relatively positive feedback to my proposals which would be of huge benefit to the town going forward and have agreed to meet with representatives of the local Credit Union group as soon as possible to discuss the proposal. Regarding the ATM service, it has also been agreed to discuss its future with Credit Union officials.
“St Brigid’s Credit Union Moate is currently located on Church Street and it is felt that a move to the larger and Bank of Ireland premises would be advantageous in terms of increasing the branches service offering.
“Let’s hope that these discussions yield a positive outcome for all involved,” Deputy Troy concluded.
CE and Tus changes welcomed
Meanwhile, Deputy Troy has welcomed an announcement from the Minister for Social Protection which has put in place a number of additional measures and supports for CE and TUS schemes.
Many schemes have been struggling to recruit participants throughout the Covid-19 period and existing participants have seen their contracts expire whilst not being able to partake in almost a year.
Under the measures announced last week existing participants, who were due to cease since October 2020 will see their contracts extended to July 2021 this will benefit over 5,000 participants nationally. There will also be an additional 3,000 placements made available nationally, whilst participants who were 55 or older in July 2017 will now be in a position to avail of six consecutive years of placement.
“I have been working with many sponsor groups within the constituency over the past 12 months who have been dealing with unprecedented problems in terms of managing schemes and ensuring their continued viability.
“We are all aware of the importance of such schemes in communities right across the County and the issues which they have been experiencing were of grave concern. Over the past year or so I have continually highlighted many of these issues including substantial recruitment problems and the need for contract extensions during the Covid period.
“I am pleased that the Minister has addressed these issues and giving certainty and hope to many groups and participants who have been left in limbo for the past number of months. I am very aware that this announcement solve all of the issues which exist within TUS and CE schemes but it certainly does deal with a number of issues and just as importantly it shows a commitment to the great service that is provided through these schemes which we all know would be impossible to replace within our communities,” Deputy Troy concluded.
