It was in the light of the recommendations in the report, especially the onus put on the Government's role, that an interdepartmental group was established to assess the options for the long-term viability of the post office services. This group's report provided the framework for the development of a viable post office network service which meets the requirements of both the customer and the operator. In the context of the report, the Government, in line with the Flynn recommendations, agreed to the introduction by An Post of postal agency arrangements and to increase the share capital of An Post by €12.7 million on the basis that this would facilitate the implementation of the overall package of reforms, in particular, through payment of a special increase for sub-postmasters. A pilot scheme for the conversion of 26 post offices to an agency basis and voluntary severance terms under the scheme were subsequently introduced by An Post with the agreement of the Irish Postmasters Union. This pilot scheme proved very successful and is now being rolled out on a nationwide basis.