Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)

I formally second the amendment which I strongly support. If we were to apply solely commercial criteria to the maintenance or otherwise of rural post offices, we would have two to three post offices in an average county. This cannot be the case. I support the effort to put a legislative imperative into the Bill to prevent this being the case in the future. We have all attended the public meetings and witnessed the closure of a local post office. We all know it is, effectively, the death-knell of a community and how traumatic it can be for a local community. We have seen the rationalisation of schools, the reduction of Garda stations and the closure of post offices. Even outlet post boxes dotted around the place mean so much to people in isolated communities. Older people who are not in a position to drive and want access to their post need these facilities.

There must be positive discrimination involved. We cannot let everything out to the free markets. We have to preserve certain things. Throughout the debate on the Bill, we have been trying to preserve the universal service obligation, as well as the State's investment. I support Senator Ryan in preserving the rural post office network and post boxes around this country. They are such a part of our infrastructure, and not only in the countryside, but also in villages, towns and on the fringes of our big cities. We cannot have people coming from Balbriggan and Skerries into the GPO on a daily basis. Some common sense and compassion must be applied.

We must decide what our priorities are as a society and what we value. If we are to turn the entire country into an economy, with no social dimension, it will be a sad and bleak place. I urge the Minister of State even just to come back with an alternative wording to achieve this objective. It is a worthy objective and it is hardly one that anyone could reasonably disagree with.