Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

First, I will pick up on the final point Deputy Smith made. She is right in saying we need to look at new innovative products that can be developed and marketed by An Post. The two big strengths An Post has are its name recognition and the fact that the organisation is trusted by the public, particularly older people. It also has a strength not only in its brand, but also its nationwide reach. It brings vans and postal workers to every single premises in Ireland five days a week, 52 weeks of the year.

It has been suggested that there is a question mark over the universal service provision, that is the five-day a week delivery to every address in the State. I want to make it crystal clear to everyone in the House and outside it that I will not be changing the designation of An Post as the universal service provider or changing the obligation to deliver post every single working day, as set out in section 16 of the Postal Services Act 2011.

We need to explore options such as the one Deputy Bríd Smith mentioned to ensure the long-term commercial viability of the company-----

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