Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses and thank them for the detailed presentation. On behalf of all of us, I thank them for the work they do in their communities, which they represent in the post office network and the postmasters. Mr. McGann has outlined in great detail what I see as a call to action by the postmasters on behalf of their customers for the Government to follow through on commitments made in the programme for Government. On page 62 of that programme, the Government clearly sets out its intention to maintain the local post office network. I support fully the motion before the House tonight. The witnesses have used the facilities of the Independent Deputies, but as Mr. McGann pointed out, it is a motion on behalf of the postmasters and the people they serve.

I do not know whether the witnesses have seen the Government amendment to the motion. If they have, do they believe it meets their needs? Is it representative of the commitments given in the programme for Government or do they believe it is yet another vague commitment to provide services some time in the future and some assistance to the post office network? What level of interaction has the Irish Postmasters Union had with its customers? Do the witnesses believe the motion they have put forward, which the Government will attempt to amend tonight, would meet the needs and expectations of the customer base they serve?