Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)

I have listened to contributions from all sides of the House. As one Member mentioned, this is one of the few issues on which we can get agreement on all sides of the House. There is a great appreciation for the role played by An Post and a desire for that service to continue in every corner of the country. Shortly after I became a Deputy, I attended a meeting at which a colleague spoke on his retirement. He made the point that the influence of Members of the Oireachtas was in decline. He said that when he first became a Member if a postal vacancy became available in his area it was just a matter of making his nomination and that person got the job. He said that things had changed so much that if the vacancy were to arise today and 100 people applied for the job, the only way a Member could ensure his person got the job was to recommend the other 99. While I am not sure if things have changed to that extent, we can certainly identify with what he said.

The Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Browne, addressed the House earlier. Unfortunately the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Noel Dempsey, was not in a position to attend today but I will pass on to him the views Senators have expressed. We will appeal to the two sides that in the interest of an efficient An Post they should come together in the spirit of co-operation to try to resolve their differences. I thank all the Members for their contributions.