Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy and the House will know, I am responding to this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Rabbitte. The Minister would like to assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to a strong and viable An Post and supports the maintenance of the maximum number of economically viable post offices. The commercial operation of An Post's post office network is a matter for the board and management of the company. It is not one in which the Minister has a direct statutory function. The Minister understands from An Post that due to the death of the postmaster in Greencastle last month, the son of the former postmaster has been put on a temporary postmaster contract to operate the service pending a review of services in the area. When postmaster vacancies arise, An Post reviews the need for a post office as a standard procedure. In this case, An Post decided to proceed with local consultation. A notice that was put up in the post office on 9 September 2013 invited the views of interested parties no later than this Friday, 27 September. It is the intention of the company after 27 September to consider the position taking account of any relevant factors, including views received, and to take a decision on the future of the office at that stage. At this point in time, no decision has been taken in the matter.

In reaching its decision, An Post will take account of network coverage needs, the level of business at the post office, customer access to service elsewhere, travel distances and the capacity of neighbouring offices to handle business if the post office closes. Deputy McHugh has referred to this aspect of the matter. As we have heard, the nearest post office to Greencastle is located in Moville, which is approximately three miles away. It has been mentioned that the AIB branch in Moville closed recently. The Minister is satisfied that the criteria used by An Post to decide on the future of individual post offices are robust enough to take account of changes in local circumstances. He fully understands the concerns of Deputy McHugh, Senator Jimmy Harte and Councillor Martin Farren about the future of the post office and the importance of the office to the local community. As a shareholder, the Minister has a strong concern for the ongoing commercial position of the company. It should be noted that An Post is facing many challenges, not only financially but also as a result of the development of communications technologies. Any decision it may take must be considered in the context of maintaining a sustainable post office network. An Post has many strengths. It has the largest retail presence in the country. The Minister has impressed on the company the need to further exploit its unique position in this regard. He has supported its attempts to diversify its income streams and to win a wider range of commercial contracts offering higher margins. The Government recognises the strategic importance of the postal sector. It has been a long-standing policy that An Post must remain in a position to compete in a liberalised market and to continue to provide wide-ranging services to urban and rural communities.

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