Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

I am delighted to hear that. One of the most appalling legacies of the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats Government when it finally leaves office will be the closure of more than 1,000 post offices across Ireland.

Approximately two weeks ago, the Irish Farmers' Journal reported that while we have a relatively high ratio of post offices to people in the EU, we have the greatest relative magnitude of closures at an astonishingly high 21%. Last November, I met a delegation from the Irish Postmasters Union led by its general secretary, Mr. John Kane, and I receive frequent correspondence from a range of postmasters and postmistresses around the country who are deeply frustrated with their low wages, poor working conditions, the increased attacks on post offices — the so-called tiger raids — and the non-automation of almost 400 post offices. The stunning new report of the potential closure of 500 post offices will cause even greater concern for postmasters and postmistresses, whose representative body under Mr. Kane has recently described the network as being in crisis.

According to the IPU, 400 of its members are earning less than the minimum wage of €17,910 per annum. It also reports that another 135 postmasters are not even scraping a bare €10,000 per annum, €200 per week. Out of these meagre earnings, they are expected to run their post offices five and a half days per week or six days or seven days per week in the midlands and the west, supply a premises, employ staff and pay any expense that occurs, including soaring utility bills.

Last week, RTE news profiled a hard-working postmaster in my constituency, Mr. Gerry Keane of Edenmore post office in Raheny. His net take was only €500 per week. A postmistress in a rural area, Ms Catherine Healy-Byrne, has been to the forefront of the Save Lombardstown Post Office Campaign near Mallow in County Cork. She has repeatedly requested that Lombardstown post office be automated urgently, which is a refrain we hear week in, week out from postmasters and postmistresses. The non-automated sub-post offices should be automated if we are to take advantage of the Fortis deal and so on.

Postmasters and postmistresses have faced a drop in business because of the decrease in Government business through the Department of Social and Family Affairs and NTMA contracts and the increase in on-line transactions and direct debit payments. Electronic fund transfer and technology can contribute to the isolation of more vulnerable members of the community and force unnecessary bank charges on consumers.

Postmasters and postmistresses are facing a serious security crisis. We hear of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, every few hours, but his information may not be accurate.

See this speech in context