Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

I did not realise the ministerial changes were so radical.

A new regulation has been circulated to postmasters and postmistresses throughout the country. The payment is due on Thursday and must be collected by the following Tuesday. There is no provision made for retention of the money if the collection is not made. This seems too rigid as it leaves no scope for a bereavement where someone may have to travel to England or another part of the country. No scope is allowed for holidays or sickness and no hardship provision is made. No margin of error is allowed for in these regulations. It would be more beneficial to allow 15 days, two weeks encompassing three Thursdays, for collection. This would cover all eventualities.

Let us consider the alternatives. If someone does not collect payment within five days, he or she must make a fresh application to the Department. This must be queried and checked, resulting in bureaucracy and expense. Even though the Minister intends to streamline the procedure, that is not the result.

Additional strain will be placed on the post offices because the alternative is for someone to open a bank account, receiving their payments directly and bypassing the post office. This will be beneficial to banks but not to post offices and most people who attend the post office do not have bank accounts. What appears to be a simple streamlining regulation has major implications. The number of people who do not collect the entitlement within the one week period is not high, unless there is a serious problem. I suggest the Minister review the regulation, allowing 15 days rather than five and allowing the post office to retain the money for that period. This will avoid bureaucracy and make the system more humane and compassionate.

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