Mr. Mark Griffin:

I suppose it is the schizophrenia across government that one can sometimes see. In fairness to the Department of Social Protection, it has a very substantial payments operation that it has to administer, and it is a very costly operation. We have commitments under e-government strategies to ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, we engage with clients and customers of the State in electronic fashion, where that is feasible.

In talking to Deputy Connaughton, I mentioned that there is a very substantial price differential — I am not being an apologist for the Department of Social Protection on this — between an over-the-counter payment and an EFT payment. The recent exercise by the Department of Social Protection was a small trial. In fact, letters were issued to approximately 2,800 clients and the objective of the exercise was to determine the best means of communicating with people about payment options. There was no obligation or requirement on them to switch from an over-the-counter payment to an EFT payment. One should compare the 2,800 clients with the 800,000 clients who receive Department of Social Protection cash payments through the An Post network. It was a small trial and the timing was probably not ideal. The last thing we want to do is send mixed messages to the people involved in the Post Office Network Business Development Group, postmasters and post mistresses around the country that we are not serious about this process. We are serious about it.