Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to say the post offices won the contract for over-the-counter cash services. Increasingly people with bank accounts who receive a State pension on retirement choose to use their bank account. I do not know whether the Deputy is suggesting that such customers should be forced to use the post office when they have a bank account. The same is true for people who receive child benefit.

In 2013 the Department used An Post for 14 million mail items with a value of more than €11.5 million and 44 million over the counter cash payments, with the transaction value of more than €58 million, were made. An Post has taken a range of other services which it offers, primarily to people who do not have a bank account, and it is very important that these services continue. If An Post wishes to expand these services it would need to have an offering in the electronic payments and banking area also, as this is a service of choice for many people because they already have a bank account and electronic banking facilities, which they are inclined to use.

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