Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman for allowing me to contribute and congratulate her on her new position as Chair of Chairs. It is well deserved.

I met Mr. McRedmond earlier and we had a quick chat. As someone who worked in the post office system for many years in a former life, I note the major contribution the post office service makes to the public. The witnesses know that, but they also have to make it a viable business. It is not a charity and its purpose is not ensuring that old people have someone to talk to on a Friday and so on.

As the witnesses know as well as I do, the post office network is a nationwide service and its counters are open six and half days a week. All counters are now automated. There is significant potential for new business. What active role do the witnesses play in looking for new business and enticing it to be part of the post office network?

Do they have an approximate cost for their Brexit preparations? The spokesperson for a competitor bandied about a figure of €3 million on radio yesterday. He is getting ready for a hard Brexit. As we all know, whether Brexit is hard or soft or does not happen, the genie is now out of the bottle. We need to be ready for whatever happens.