Mr. John Daly:

The 1,147 post offices provide a full service with full hours and are fully computerised, so there is no difference between them. We also have agencies that provide limited services for social welfare. The 1,147 post offices are fully computerised and operate with full hours. They all have similar security procedures. We have invested in safes, alarms, CCTV and so on through both An Post and the postmasters. They are all fully secured and there is no difference between those post offices.

The Deputy mentioned that the number of closures had decreased over the past number of years, but it had nothing to do with not being computerised or not having services. The only differential is that some of the post offices may not offer all of the products. For instance, not all offices have foreign exchange cash facilities because of the cost and the risks associated with a stock of cash. They all have the ability to operate foreign exchange cards.

The Deputy mentioned sustainability. An Post management is working hard at sustainability for itself and for the post offices. We have taken out annualised costs of €100 million over the past five years, of which €17 million was pay and €30 million was non-pay costs. We have taken out many full-time staff and full-time staff equivalents and there are plans in place to take out another 1,000 members of staff over the next four or five years. We are working very hard to sustain An Post as well as the post office network. I ask Mr. Sheehan to talk about the banks.