Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

That is exactly one of the things we need to do and it is uppermost in our minds. The shift towards electronic payments, as recognised by the IPU, needs to be made to enable the post office network to compete with the banks and in order that the post office network can be as good in transacting this business as any other outlet. The Deputy is right in that regard. This illustrates the importance of the business development group and its interim report which was published today. Among the areas outlined in the report in terms of potential include over-the-counter transaction services for new products such as BillPay on behalf of various organisations and tax payment services for the local property tax on behalf of the Revenue Commissioners. New services for Departments could also be provided such as client identity authentication services, back office and outsourcing services such as those provided by An Post for the Revenue Commissioners, as well as banking and other financial services such as those provided by An Post on behalf of AIB. We want to ensure An Post can provide these services in an efficient way and in the way people nowadays want to avail of them.

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