Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The post office network is critical to the development of rural and urban Ireland. It is an essential part of an modern economy and it has a key role. There will be an ongoing decrease in the broader sense in An Post in letter-type post, but we expect the parcel business to increase significantly. This will strengthen the network and post offices as part of that network will be important. What we have seen with An Post is the broadening of the business beyond that and a recognition that in financial services and the provision of government services there is a way to replace some of the lost revenues, including in areas such as social welfare provision and other areas as they decline. The town centres first project is examining how we can use post offices in this way as a local hub for public services. Deputy Michael Moynihan's proposed development in north-west Cork of a community enterprise hub around a post office network is a case in point. We need that scale of ambition in regard to post offices.