Noel O'Flynn (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)

The Minister of State has indicated post office work is high volume in nature and involves low margin transactions such as welfare and utility bill payments. Such payments can be transferred to any banking facility. As the Minister of State said, the network is dependent on the two contracts currently in place, namely, that relating to social welfare payments and the NTMA's small savings products.

I seem to recall the representative of the Irish Postmasters Union informing the joint committee that its members would embrace this technology. I am disappointed that the union has withdrawn from the negotiations.

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