Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

At the outset, the Minister thanked postmasters and postmistresses. He is correct; we need to thank them. Nobody has been listening to them, however, for many years now. I have been trying to listen to them, and I have been speaking to them one by one. Many of them in rural Ireland are living on the minimum wage. Does anyone realise that? Does the Minister realise that? Does Mr. McRedmond realise that? They cannot survive and they are choked. They were forced into taking this redundancy because many of them have served their community brilliantly down through the years but they know there have not been any new services drafted into their post offices down through the years. The Government has failed to do that. An Post has failed to help them to survive. More of them are fearful of their future.

I live in a rural community and I know how rural Ireland is dying on its feet. I have seen the closure of Garda stations and banks. In my peninsula two banks were closed. What was the first thing that happened? The local supermarket was closed within 12 months, with the loss of 17 jobs in that community. If the post office is taken away, the heart is being ripped out of the rural community. That is what the Government and An Post are doing now. They do not realise what they are doing. There are four, nearly five, post offices in west Cork that are facing closure.

I ask Mr. McRedmond because I am getting slightly confused. We heard that it was 15 km but we are hearing 7 km today. Mr. McRedmond said earlier that people would not be left without a post office within 7 km. Allihies post office is 10.9 km from Eyeries post office. Obviously, in the rural part of Allihies, it could be 16 km or 17 km. Mr. McRedmond is going from post office to post office, which is a nice way to get An Post off the hook. That is 10.9 km. Drinagh post office is 9.5 km from Drimoleague, but Drinagh is being closed, as is the plan. Allihies is to go also.

Mr. McRedmond also said An Post would look at shutting one post office where there are three in order to save the other two. If that is the case, are we talking about Desertserges and Ballineen? They are both closing and only one will survive, which is Enniskeane. I look at west Cork and it is being chewed up completely differently to the way that Mr. McRedmond describes. These post offices are the lifeline in rural communities. We need their very survival. I ask Mr. McRedmond to look at Allihies, Ballineen and Drinagh and give that community the opportunities. I attended the public meetings and there is severe anger because the people feel they have been deserted by the Government and An Post. People need An Post to fight for them. I ask the Minister to do the same. I know he is a good, fighting Minister for the people of rural Ireland, but this is not the position they want to be in. They are losing their post offices. I know it because I come from that area myself.