Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

Does the Minister see a future for a national postal service, as we have had in the past, or has he made up his mind about something else? His statements suggest he has something else in mind that might be better. In those circumstances, I remind him of the various other utility services previously in public ownership. What benefit has the consumer received from the changes in this regard?

What has the Minister done in the last 12 months, by way of policy directive, to encourage the expansion of the scale and scope of the services available through An Post? I have observed elsewhere that the updating of the electoral register might be a useful exercise which An Post workers, who visit most doors on a regular basis, could undertake. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government opined publicly that this would be a good idea but there has been no further response. Has anything been done in this regard?

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