Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Senators Mooney and Wilson on the need for a campaign with regard to the post offices. A Government action plan is required for the survival of the post office. The dismantling of rural Ireland continues apace. We have seen Garda stations close in many rural areas and an increase in the amount of break-ins and burglaries that have ensued when gardaí are not on the ground to deal with these issues. We have also seen the local pubs and shops all being seriously affected. We have seen emigration, which has decimated many GAA clubs, and now we see post offices being abandoned by this Minister. I am appalled that a Minister, particularly one from the Labour Party, would favour big international business interests over small post office operations that often are run by families and indeed people in rural areas who need those operations. I accept fully that there is a need to have an economic balance.

On my local radio station this morning, I heard a former colleague of mine, Hugh Byrne, speak about the decimation of rural Ireland and the need to deal with these issues. There is a dearth of social capital in rural Ireland which must be addressed. I call on the Minister to say that while economic issues must be addressed, they must also be balanced with the social issues involved in this. If we are just going to deal with the administration of Government as a fiscal issue, it would be far better to engage accountants and let them do the job because they would be far more proficient at it. Unfortunately, democracy depends on politicians who have an interest in social issues and who balance economic issues with those social issues. That is not happening. As a member of Fianna Fáil, I must say that we have always subscribed fully to proper rural development and infrastructure that underpin good healthy rural societies. Our post offices were one of the fundamental pillars of that. I am asking this Government to turn its back on the route it is following and the influence huge businesses are having to the detriment of the citizen.