Bank of Ireland's customer recruitment policy in second-level schools was criticised for its "blatant commercialism" yesterday by a body representing parents.

Ms Fionnuala Kilfeather, chief executive of the National Parents Council - Primary, said pupils were being hit by the bank's marketing tactics as soon as they entered second-level education.

One parent, who called RTÉ radio's Liveline programme yesterday, said her 12-year-old daughter had come home from school with an ATM card and PIN for a current account.

By law, a child over the age of seven can open a bank account without parental permission.

However, Ms Kilfeather said that there were plenty of good savings schemes and accounts on offer to second-level pupils that did not include a pass card. She added that the temptation to visit ATMs to withdraw savings was often too much for 12 year olds.

"Having ready access to money makes children very vulnerable," Ms Kilfeather said.

A spokeswoman for Bank of Ireland defended its schools programme, which she said was about educating pupils in schools to which they were invited about banking services and budgeting.

She said a minority of its second-level customers were 12-year-olds, with most aged 15-16. "These people see themselves as adults. They have quite a substantial income from part-time jobs."

Figures from the bank show that in 1997 the under-16 age group accounted for only 10 per cent of the second-level accounts opened. At the end of 2002, they accounted for almost 40 per cent.

Ms Kilfeather said that educating children about financial services was the job of parents, not schools or banks. "This is about getting them in early and keeping them as customers for life. It's completely commercial, it is not philanthropy of any kind."

Students are not charged banking fees but they are liable for the Government's €10 stamp duty on ATM cards.