An Post is the principal agency through which payments are delivered to social welfare customers. Over the years An Post's role has been expanded to include a range of social welfare payments. It is estimated that An Post will deliver about 42 million social welfare payments during 2000. This represents approximately 75% of all social welfare payments.
An Post provides these services to my Department in accordance with a five year contract which was signed in 1992 and extended for a further three years in 1997. The Government decided in 1999 that the contract between my Department and An Post should be extended for a further three years, 2000 to 2002 inclusive. Following this decision certain issues were raised with the EU Commission concerning, inter alia, whether the contract must under EU law be offered to the market. The Commission has not yet completed its examination of these issues but I expect that this process will be completed in the reasonably near future.
Question No. 184 taken with Question No. 162.
Question No. 185 taken with Question No. 163.