Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I am all in favour of An Post getting business wherever it can since it has the most extensive retail presence in the country. From memory, it has 1,345 post offices. I can recall no other organisation that has such a network nationwide. As to the matter the Deputy is pursuing, one can already get one's tax online. I am happy to speak to my colleagues about the issue formally. I have spoken to them unofficially. Within the Act, it is not my function to canvass for business for An Post, but I am happy to speak to my colleagues in that regard.

In recent years, An Post's great success has been the provision of financial services in an arrangement with two banks. Given the banks' attitude, the constraints on them following the hames the Deputy's Government made of supervising them and the crash, there will be a greater possibility for An Post to enter into arrangements with the banks concerning the provision of financial services to the type of customer to whom the Deputy referred. Post offices see a significant footfall, constitute a tremendous retail network and have delivered expertise in terms of An Post's arrangements with the National Treasury Management Agency, NTMA. Those products have been successful and there is greater potential for An Post in that respect.

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