Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is a very good question. It is like a pyramid system and my focus is on the post offices that need the support the most. They are the target area. What I wanted to do with this package is ensure there is no postmaster who is closing because he or she feels his or her post office is not viable. The number one target here was to ensure our post office network is intact. If anyone wants to retire for personal reasons, which I think was one of the Deputy's later questions, it will be his or her decision. If somebody wants to take up the postmaster role it will be advertised again. We are all very aware in our own constituencies of post offices where somebody retires and when the role is advertised it is not picked up because it is not viable. This unprecedented package gives postmasters certainty. Talking to one or two, they are now not going to retire, knowing this package is in place. This is for their communities. It is about what this does for our local communities so they have access to those critical public services. I was talking to one postmaster about what would happen if they closed down, as they were intending to do before this package came. The local community would have had to do a 30 km round trip to access banking facilities but now the postmaster can provide them.