Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am working off the telephone because the climate committee is also sitting and I am between two meetings on a busy sitting day for committees.

I thank the An Post workers who have done such great work during the pandemic and more generally. I also thank the witnesses for the number of initiatives they took, some of which were captured in their presentation. The postcards reflected very well on the organisation.

I want to raise the concerns about the viability of the network. We heard from the postmasters' union about their legitimate concerns. They said there is a risk of up to 200 post offices closing across the country. They said the bigger, busier post offices might be the most vulnerable. Has Mr. McRedmond heard that concern? Does he share it? Does he envisage a spate of post office closures across the country, and to what extent?

I have a question about the triennial reviews. We have been focused on the transition payment, but I was contacted by a local post office in my constituency of Meath East about its triennial review. Counter remuneration being reduced had the impact of reducing its income by €30,000 per year. It is a busy post office in an urban setting. Is that similar to experiences elsewhere throughout the country? To what degree has counter remuneration reduced across the post office network as part of the triennial reviews? What funding has been taken out of the post office network relating to counter transactions and counter remuneration? That is a significant point relating to the viability of the network.