Ms Carol Bolger:

I thank the Acting Chairman. I will pick up in a couple of the points he has raised. He has mentioned some very important elements. I see this as a company that belongs to the nation. In the opening address of the 2020 annual report, our CEO stated that in 2020, An Post found its soul. The Acting Chairman referred to it as a heartbeat and there is something about An Post that makes it the nation's darling, in a sense. When I was appointed to the board, the Minister at the time told me An Post was the jewel in the nation's crown. I had not looked at the organisation in that light before then but I think it is a jewel. It is an amazing company.

The Acting Chairman mentioned management and we have an amazing leadership team. I appreciate the Acting Chairman's acknowledgement of Mr. McRedmond, Mr. Laverty and all the management team. There is an amazing leadership team in An Post and they do a lot of the heavy lifting and hard work. The board also adds a lot of value but we must appreciate the management and all of our 9,000-odd staff who work hard every day to deliver the services.

The Acting Chairman also mentioned our postmasters and local post offices. My big request today relates to government services, of which we want to provide more. Mr. McRedmond mentioned that on "Today with Claire Byrne" yesterday. We are serious about this. I hope in my tenure as chair over the next few years that we will be able to move forward and add that value. Our nation is bereft of touch-point social contact. We believe we can do a lot more to generate the footfall and business for our postmasters. I thank the Acting Chairman for his remarks.