Mr. Justin Moran:

I want to pick up on the comment about post offices in rural areas as well as Mr. McRedmond's comments. I understand the focus on the number of post offices but it can be quite frustrating given the focus needs to be on expanding the services available in them. To nuance the issue slightly, our members' concern is less about the number of post offices closing down and more about the issue of accessibility. Having fewer post offices that people can still get to makes sense. At this point, it goes way beyond the responsibility of the Department or An Post. We are talking about rural transport more generally, which I could talk about for a long time. It is probably one of the key issues for older people. Rather than being something stakeholders can deal with, we have to put it back to Members of the Oireachtas. The more effective the rural transport system is, the easier it is for older people or anyone else to get to post offices. It could be argued that fewer post offices would be needed if people could get to them.