100,000 adults in Ireland have no bank account

AROUND 100,000 adults in Ireland do not have bank accounts — many of them have been refused on the grounds of being too poor, not having a permanent address, or because of their nationality.

The EU has said no one should be refused a basic bank account and have told the member states to ensure that everyone, irrespective of their financial position, can open an account into which they can put money and withdraw it.

However, the move has been criticised by the umbrella consumers group BEUC which says that banks should be legally forced to provide the service rather than the EU’s non-binding recommendation.