John Gerard Hanafin (Fianna Fail)

We all want the same thing and we agree on the principle of quality of service and competition. The anxiety expressed in the amendments is that unless new entrants come to the table with suggestions of how to grow the business, there is an absolute inevitability that there will be a division of the existing business, which is only marginally profitable as it stands, at less than 1% of turnover, which is within the margin of error for any reduction in postal services. If we are not asking new entrants for a plan to grow the business, we must allow An Post the chance to recoup the money it has already invested. Any business, private or public, would be making a reasonable proposition in making a request for an extension of seven years. There is a limited pool and unless there is a larger plan for new entrants to state they can increase business by a certain percentage, which they then take, we will end up subsidising An Post because it is has lost business to new entrants and, effectively, we will be subsidising the new entrants.