John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

With 1.7 million customers visiting 1,150 outlets every week, An Post is running the largest financial services network in the country. Critically, it is also one of the most trusted institutions in the country at a time when faith in the traditional banking system is at an all-time low. We have all seen the effect the slash and burn closures of Garda stations have had on rural communities. Now our post office network could quite possibly go down the same sorry road. For example, the partnership with Tesco will lead to a more urban-based service which, as has been repeatedly pointed out, threatens the livelihood of hundreds of self-employed postmasters. State services have been farmed out to a multinational supermarket chain. That is what we are practically proposing to do.

I draw attention to the Grant Thornton report, commissioned by the Irish Postmasters' Union. It makes a compelling case for the development of a strategic plan for sustaining the rural post office network. That is the not the first time the Government has heard this. Two years ago, a report by the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications on the future of the network indicated that An Post would require additional services to ensure long-term viability, particularly in rural areas.

Local post offices have proven time and again that they are willing to adapt to changing times. They can be used for public sector services, such as ordering passports or paying speeding fines. The post offices are willing to do that and are willing to change. State savings at An Post increased from a book of €6 billion in 2007 to almost €17 billion last year. This has happened at a time when people have never been more distrustful of banks. This growth cannot be overstated. Local postmasters hunger for similar new opportunities to develop their businesses. They are not asking for handouts from the State. They are better positioned than any other institution to provide more services to their network of 1.7 million customers.

I do not know why the Government approved the creation of 34 driving licence application centres throughout the country instead of awarding the contract to handle the new system to the country's 1,100 post offices. An example of such impracticality can be found in my constituency. In order to get a driving licence in Tramore, if one does not go online, one has to drive 50 km to Dungarvan and 50 km back. That does not make sense.

An estimated 18% of the Irish population do not have a bank account, for a myriad of reasons, including the fact they cannot afford bank charges. In many cases, they just do not want a bank account and they are entitled to make that choice. We have no right to deprive them of their civil liberties. It is an attack on the civil liberties of 18% of the population to take away the trusting post office service that they have known for generations. I addressed almost 1,000 people outside the Houses of the Oireachtas earlier this evening. I said this was not about stability within the financial services nor about viability of the post offices but about sustainability and viability of the human being. This is not about profit or greed and avarice. Have we not learned over the past ten years that this has been catastrophic on people throughout Ireland? This is about putting people before profit.

All those people who were outside this building tonight work in post offices and represent many people who are disadvantaged in society. For example, we still have high illiteracy and innumeracy rates in Ireland. It is well known by the Money Advice & Budgeting Service, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and other organisations that the post office is the first port of call for many of those people who are under severe psychological pressure. It would be catastrophic to undermine what the post offices do.

If the Labour Party Members knew what they were about, I do not think they would do this. I ask them to consider withdrawing the Government amendment. Let us see what happens. The Government should negotiate with the Irish Postmasters' Union and talk to the rest of us. It is not a win situation for the Independent Members if the Labour Party Members withdraw their amendment. We would be very gracious if they did, and we ask them to do it.

See this speech in context