April 27^th, 2020

Please be assured First Ireland are operating as normal through the Covid 19 Emergency.

The spread of COVID-19 is a major shock to the economy in Ireland and its impact is being felt in homes and businesses around the country. The economic challenges facing all of us are enormous.

Please be assured that First Ireland will spare no effort and will do everything we can to protect our individual and business customers. We are committed to helping you in whatever way we can through the challenges posed by this pandemic and will continue to provide you support through to recovery and beyond.

We want to reassure you about our ability to continue business as usual during the Coronavirus outbreak. Our employees are safe and working remotely. Our IT infrastructure is robust and our Business Continuity Plans tested regularly. We’re ready and able to support you and here if you need us.

See below for answers to some of the questions you might have. In the meantime, we thank you for your patience and understanding and sincerely hope that you and your families continue to stay safe and healthy over the coming weeks and months.

Are First Ireland operating as normal at present?

While our office Parkgate Street is closed to the public, our staff are working remotely , operating as usual and will continue to answer/handle all customer queries as normal. Our cloud-based technology allows us to operate normally, and customers can rest assured that their data is as secure as if staff were working from the office. All staff have been fully briefed on our Contingency Plan and our Security of Files/Equipment Off-Site / In-Transit policy.

---

Will claims be processed as normal?

Yes. Rest assured there will be no disruption to the processing of existing claims and for all new claims we will proceed as normal where possible. If there are any issues with necessary on-site inspections etc., we will keep in constant contact with you to advise you of the necessary steps to be taken.

We may contact you with information on our products or services that may interest you; to ask for your feedback or views on the products and services we provide or to tell you about any important changes to our website.

---

What steps has First Ireland taken to ensure the safety of its staff?

We have closed the public receptions at First Ireland with effect from 5.30pm on 12th March, until further notice.
We have cancelled all non-essential company travel and are preparing our team to work remotely to keep everyone safe and healthy.
We have conducted remote working testing with a number of our staff, and this has been very successful. We are confident that, regardless of the situation, it will be business as usual no matter what happens over the coming weeks and months.
All our practice and business decisions are informed by guidance from the relevant health authorities and we are assessing our preparedness and operations daily.

---

Key Contacts Queries

In this uncertain time, our thoughts are with all those who have been affected. The health and safety of our customers and employees is our top priority, and we are putting these measures in place to ensure you continue to receive the highest level of support from the First Ireland team. We set out below a list of key staff contacts for use in the event of a shutdown. Before that time, please continue to contact us via the normal channels.

---