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

I agree with the Senator. We have a role to play in saying members of the public need to use their local post office and getting that message out there. I have attended public meetings where people were outraged that their local post office was closing but, when we go through the numbers, the footfall is just not there in some post offices. We have a role to play, as does An Post. This is part of the modernisation of our post office network. An Post representatives will come before the committee in the next few weeks, as will the postmasters working with them, regarding those extra services that will hit every age group in society, be it for banking or local services, and will attract people and communities to using the local post office in their towns and villages.

There is a body of work to do. I agree with the Senator on that. This is a role for postmasters and An Post. This financial package is giving them time to ramp up the level of service, and the awareness in our towns and villages, and help them modernise the post office service throughout the country.