I propose to take Questions Nos. 32, 39, 98, 138, 140 and 148 together.
There will continue to be a key national role for An Post, both in delivery of mails and as a quality service provider through its nationwide network of post office outlets. The market for traditional postal and post office services is changing globally and meeting customer needs has become more important than ever. In order to remain competitive, An Post needs to make the best possible use of its long established and trusted brand name and deploy its resources in a manner which continues to serve existing customers' needs and attracts additional customers for a range of new services.
There is agreement that change is required if the postal services of An Post are to adapt to the modern business environment and to continue to offer a top class nationwide delivery service to the customer into the future. To progress the change agenda, an exhaustive process of negotiation between An Post management and An Post trades unions, with the assistance of the State's industrial relations machinery, has been ongoing for some time. To keep up the momentum of the process and in an effort to resolve all remaining difficulties on collection and delivery arrangements, the outstanding issues are currently being dealt with in the Labour Court with a view to agreeing a way forward that will see the company placed on a secure financial footing.
With regard to the future of the post office network, this Government and the board of An Post are committed to the objective of securing a viable and sustainable nationwide post office network as set out in the programme for Government. I have met the Irish Postmasters' Union and I have listened to its views with interest. I have also emphasised to An Post management the importance of developing a long-term strategy for the network.
The challenge for the company is to develop a strategy that satisfies the needs of existing customers, while attracting new customers into the post office. An Post has already had some success in winning new business and continues to benefit from a considerable amount of Government business, especially in the areas of social welfare payments and savings products. To ensure that our post offices remain attractive to customers, future strategy must satisfactorily address electronic technology issues in a comprehensive fashion. In the interim, a pilot project will see ten small post offices computerised.