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HSBC to shutter Welsh language phone line

By Jonathan Easton

HSBC has announced that it will stop offering a Welsh language phone line from 15 January.

The bank’s managing director Oliemata O'Donoghue has sent a letter to Senedd members (MSs), noting that the decision was not “taken lightly,” explaining that the line is “no longer being utilised”. It said: "We receive 22 calls into the line each day, compared to 18,000 into our English-speaking agents."

Customers still wanting to speak in Welsh to the bank can request a call back in the language and will receive one “within three working days.”

For those who want to continue discussing their banking in Welsh, HSBC said they can get a call back in Welsh "within three working days".

The decision has been widely criticised by politicians across the aisle, with Education and Welsh Language Minister Jeremy Miles saying that he was "disappointed" by the decision, who said: "Increasing the use of Welsh is a priority for me, and I want us to have as many opportunities to use Welsh as possible in our daily lives.

"I will be discussing this matter with the Welsh language commissioner, who has already written to HSBC, to see what can be done to ensure that the Welsh language service remains, and is equally easy to access in both languages."

Samuel Kurtz, the Conservative shadow Welsh language minister, echoed these sentiments, adding: "With high street banks shutting their branches, leaving holes in our high streets, telephone banking has been a lifeline for a number of customers.”

The bank has closed 12 branches in Wales to date in 2023.

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