Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will start with Senator O'Donnell. As she knows, the investment and lodgements that are made with An Post are managed by the NTMA, and they are invested in capital projects around the country.

On the 230 post offices that have been unviable until now and remain part of the network, they are critical to the development of the new services we spoke about earlier such as banking and digital assist-type services, and providing an offline avenue for people who have not had that up to now. They will see significant investment, as will the rest of the post office network across the country, which is critically important.

On the banking aspect, I do not want to go into the detail of it because I know it is part of discussions that are ongoing, but my understanding is it is not the pillar banks. While An Post is providing agency services for some of those banks, namely, Danske Bank, Ulster Bank and AIB, what An Post is talking about is a new service. Mr. McRedmond might talk in more detail about that.

As to the questions from Deputies Murphy O'Mahony and Collins, there is no doubt that post offices were the nucleus of the community in the past, but I do not believe that is the case today. We have not seen new, innovative services coming into the post offices. The generational change where we see younger people coming in and using the post offices has not happened. We want to bring them back to being the nucleus of the community, but that can only be done by putting investment into the post office network, modernising it and making it meet the needs of today and tomorrow.

It should not just be older people using the post office but families and younger people, not just at Christmas to buy stamps and in the summer to renew a passport but on a weekly basis. People should be using the post office for banking, e-commerce and online services such as are needed in respect of identity verification, for example. There are real and genuine opportunities for the post office network and the company is determined to roll out those services.

Deputy Murphy O'Mahony gives the impression that broadband is not being rolled out at the moment but it is. Communities across the country are getting it. Is it happening as quickly as I would like? Absolutely not. I am determined to make sure we continue the momentum on the build-out of broadband infrastructure until every home and business in the community has access. I am acting and have acted as Minister. The Deputy will see new and additional services that we have been working on over the last months being rolled out in post offices. I accept that my predecessors have talked the talk but failed to actually bring services into the post office network. That is changing and the fruits of it will be seen as part of the modernisation that is taking place.

In reply to Deputy Michael Collins I would say the service has expanded. We now have An Post vans in every village in rural Ireland on a Saturday, which was unheard of in the past, because we are expanding the parcel service. I accept the point he and Deputy Murphy O'Mahony make in respect of post offices in west Cork. That is why we have a review process that allows for those particular circumstances to be taken into account and for the other retailers in those communities to take on some or all of the services.

I will hand over to Mr. McRedmond.