I am not sure whether EBS is state owned, I know that Ulster Bank isn't, but PTSB is owned by the government - and that means that the government has a duty to bring them in, speak to them, and get them to set their variable rates in line with other state owned banks like AIB.
PTSB is rightly being highlighted in the media in relation to its shocking variable rates, but not enough pressure is being placed on the government to get them to act by the media. At the end of the day, if the government are not pressurised into doing something PTSB will sit back and do nothing.