Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)

Under an EU directive, from next year the Department of Social and Family Affairs will have to send out to tender to all financial institutions for the provision of the payments services. Until now, An Post has carried out this service and there is a great fear in rural post offices about this. Such post offices state that 50% of their gross income is generated by social welfare payments, and if that is the case, the Department's actions will sound the death knell for rural post offices.

We should think about what that means. It will be an end to a whole way of life and to the fabric of rural life, as the post office, with the pub and Garda station makes up such fabric. These and other facilities provide services for people and we have seen the demise of such services over the years. It is a vicious circle because if services are taken away, the population goes away. Who wants to stay in an area where there is no post office or garda, leaving no protection from marauding criminals, where children cannot be sent to school or where there is no doctor etc.? These issues matter.

Rural postmasters have an income of between €28,000 and €30,000 and from this costs such as rent, ESB, phones, wages, security etc. must be paid. The people in Carracastle in County Mayo held on to their post office.

I say to Government that we should be positive as this is a great opportunity for it to prove it is for the people, not for profit, and that it can do things. For example, how much of the banking done by Government could be diverted in some way to rural post offices? All the financial transactions could be decentralised to rural areas. If an effort was made to do so it would make a major difference. The Department of Social and Family Affairs must open tenders to everyone. Why not give rural post offices a chance? This is a wonderful opportunity for the Government to prove it is of the people and does not want to see the demise of rural post offices. Now is its chance and it should take it.

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