More than 80 per cent of people want new legislation to protect bank customers or the prosecution of banks or bankers involved in fraudulent or illegal activities.

Following the recent revelations of overcharging at National Irish Bank and tax evasion facilities provided by NIB and some of the other main banks, only one in 10 people are now prepared to allow the banks to take action themselves to stamp out any illegal or fraudulent activities.

And well over half of those surveyed in the latest The Irish Times/ MRBI opinion poll feel the situation has been handled very badly by the Government and the Central Bank, but particularly by NIB and the other banks. The survey of 1,000 people aged 18 years and over found that some 47 per cent of the respondents want new legislation to protect bank customers. Some 37 per cent want banks and bankers involved in illegal or fraudulent activities to be prosecuted.

Only 10 per cent are satisfied to allow the banks themselves to take action to stamp out the illegal or fraudulent activities.

Some 6 per cent of those surveyed had no opinion.

On the performance of NIB, the other main banks, the Government and the Central Bank after the revelations were made, well over half of the respondents feel the situation was handled badly. More older respondents feel the situation was handled badly than younger respondents.

Only 12 per cent feel NIB handled the situation well while 68 per cent feel the bank handled it badly. Some 55 per cent are critical of how the other banks reacted while 19 per cent feel it was handled well by them. Some 54 per cent feel the Central Bank and 52 per cent feel the Government handled the situation badly.

But a surprisingly high proportion of those surveyed had no opinion on how the situation was handled - 20 per cent in the case of NIB, 26 per cent for the other main banks, 31 per cent in the case of the Central Bank and 23 per cent for the Government.

This may be explained by the fact that about 30 per cent of those surveyed would not have had bank accounts. The absence of any opinion is highest - at 38 per cent - among the 18 to 24 years age group.

A breakdown of the overall results according to the ages of the respondents shows that more younger respondents favour prosecution of offenders while more older respondents want new legislation. More male than female respondents want prosecutions while more female than male respondents want to see new legislation to protect consumers.

Some 41 per cent of those aged 18 to 24 years and 43 per cent of the 25 to 34 age bracket want to see prosecutions.

This compares with only 28 per cent of those aged over 65 years and 31 per cent in the 50 to 64 years age bracket.

Some 49 per cent of the 65 years plus age bracket and 58 per cent of those aged 50 to 64 years want new legislation to protect consumers. But only 41 per cent of those aged 18 to 24 years favour this reaction to the banking revelations.

Some 41 per cent of the male respondents want prosecutions compared with 33 per cent of the female respondents, while half the female respondents want new legislation, compared with 44 per cent of the male respondents.

The survey was carried out last Tuesday. The 1,000 people surveyed were a representative sample of the Irish electorate. About 70 per cent would have been bank customers.