Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 16 March 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport

Viability of and Opportunities for the Post Office Network: Discussion

Mr. Ned O'Hara:

To refer to Deputy Crowe's question, the Grant Thornton figures were calculated at the end of 2019. They did not take into account any Covid-19 effect from 2020. We believe that rather than increasing, that could be diluted for the Government if we were to provide additional services. We recognise there may be a fear in official circles that this could be an ever-expanding hole for the investment. We, however, see that this should be subject to an annual or biannual review with regard to the services that are provided and the costs. I would not expect anybody to sign a blank cheque. Having said that, however, Grant Thornton said it will produce a return, and again, I am repeating myself, of €324 million to €776 million. We would expect, if we get additional services, that a monitoring mechanism will be in place to ensure it does not become a snowball. I believe that answers the questions on community banking. I will hand over to Mr. O'Callaghan.

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