Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister for his comprehensive response. He has identified many challenges facing An Post and I agree it needs to reinvent how it delivers services to those in rural Ireland. However, it certainly cannot provide these services if it closes post offices without tangible assessment of what extra delivery could give rural areas. Will the Minister take an active interest in this area on behalf of rural citizens? I do not expect a post office at every crossroads; far from it. However, I gave the example of there being no post office in a 10 km radial in mid-County Waterford.

The Minister used the phrase "financial exclusion" and this is what is happening to many customers of the Department of Social Protection who used the post office in Kill. They are financially excluded because there is no rural transport link or ready access to alternative postal services which are more than 10 km away. This is unacceptable and An Post needs to review this. The Government must be cognisant of the changes in rural Ireland to ensure that we protect services as far as possible.

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