Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The fundamental task we all have to collectively work to achieve is more people using the post office service. An interdepartmental group was set up to examine the feasibility of government services being moved over to the post office network. There was also an announcement today. I believe we need a citizens' assembly to discuss the future of the post office network because it is not just Ireland that is having difficulties with its post office network and the delivery or use of postal services.

I will digress, with the Chairman's permission, by returning to the issue of aviation in the short time left to me. I will remind the Minister of State, members of the committee and those watching that Cork Airport is the second airport in the country. It had 2.8 million passengers pre-pandemic. I support Deputy Carey's call, which is a call I have made, that the regional airports programme, notwithstanding the European Union state aid rules, must be retained for Cork and Shannon airports to incentivise marketing and route delivery. If it is not, we will have worse chaos than we had last weekend.