Mr. David McRedmond:

I will take those questions in order. The first issue is the number of post offices. I can absolutely understand that the role of Members of the Oireachtas includes representing citizens, looking after them and ensuring that the post office network is maintained, but an obsession with the number of post offices holds back the development of the post office network more than anything. It is far more constructive to talk about the coverage of the post office network and the services it provides. We all know that, as a by-product of modernising the network, some post offices will inevitably close. This is simply because people have moved away from areas where those post offices are situated. What the Senator has described quite correctly is our minimum service. There is a minimum commitment about what will be available in those places and the distance from people. That minimum commitment is very positive because it is bigger than the current minimum commitment. At the moment there is no commitment other than one relating to the distance a person lives from a post office. It is, therefore, intended to strengthen the network. However, there will inevitably be some consolidation of the network, whether it is what Bobby Kerr is saying or what Ned O'Hara is saying about it having to be voluntary. We accept all of these different views but that is essential. We must move on in terms of the services we provide and ensure that the coverage is adequate. I respect the right of the committee to ensure that the coverage is adequate but the number of post offices might not always be the most useful measure.

The second issue is whether local authorities could use post offices. Absolutely. We have a website called licences.ieand I believe every licence and planning permission form ought to be on it. There is the retail jargon "omni-channel", which means something is available online as well as in a place made with bricks and mortar such as a post office. We cannot hold back the digital world and we must make our services available online even if it means fewer people going into post offices. However, if we expand the range of services, we will get that share. For instance, we do a very good job with our passport service. We know that there will always be that 25% of people who will want to go to the post office to get it. It is important they know that the post office is the place it can be got and we are comprehensive in our services. Dog licences is another area. To have all of these services, which are the daily things that annoy us in our lives, available in a one-stop shop, which is the post office, is really important. Local authorities are very important, particularly around motor tax and the provision of driver's licences, although that service is not with local authorities at the moment. We would work closely with them. We have had to get our own house in order inside in An Post to ensure that we are properly organised as a retail business and are able to deliver these products. This is something Bobby Kerr and I, given my past, recognise.

The third issue was life policies for funeral expenses. This is a very popular product. The biggest issue we face with banking, which is why we cannot just introduce all these services immediately, is the level of regulation and the need to have a banking licence. At what point do we need to have a banking licence? We do not currently have one. Banking services stopped because a partner of ours, Fortis, a Belgian bank, went bankrupt. It was not the fault of An Post. However, we have to explore this again and find a way around it.

Having come from the television industry and seen the amount of time and advertising spent on it, I could not agree more that there should just be a stamp that says "Approved by the Central Bank". That would be enough and it is short enough. We should somehow be able to find a way to get to that.

Regarding parcels, even worse than the issue of post offices not opening on a Saturday is that of post offices not opening at lunchtime. I appreciate that they are small offices and it is difficult for people to man them, but we simply have to change that in this day and age. This is why I look forward to working with the IPU and postmasters to find a way to get post offices open. We have just done it with our parcels service to ensure that people can get their parcels on a Saturday and that there are later cut-off times. We now need to do that with post offices. To me it is not acceptable that we are not open at lunchtime or on Saturdays. It is not the fault necessarily of postmasters. It is that of An Post. We have to fix that and we will fix it. I hope it is done very soon. I should note for the benefit of the Senator that we deliver to homes, so we can deliver to his home. Our delivery service can now leave it with a neighbour or nearby or we can do a number of other things. However, the point is well made.

On having a franking machine outside post office, we should have those. I have seen stamp machines on the street. However, I have not been asked this before so I will have to go back and look at it.

On the licence fee, I completely respect what the committee is doing. My background was in television for years. I understand why RTÉ needs this and I appreciate the work done on it. It is an example of where post offices need to be somewhere in the thinking. This is not to preserve the post office but the idea of a one-stop shop for everyone. Services should not be taken away from the post office, especially in light of what those from Age Action say about being able to go to the post office in Rialto or wherever else, knowing that one can get all the services there. The services might be added on elsewhere but they should also be available through the post office.

I cannot read my writing but I think the final issue is whether we can provide the services-----