Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to put on the record of the House that I have a personal interest. I am a postmaster of eight years in my constituency. I am the fourth generation to do so and I am fortunate to serve the community. I also wish to put on record, and with no disrespect to the Minister of State, Deputy Perry, that I am disappointed the Minister with direct responsibility for this area is not present. The moving of Topical Issues to this time of the day was to facilitate the relevant line Minister to be present to hear the concerns, especially of Opposition Deputies because Government Deputies have the opportunity to speak to relevant Ministers at parliamentary party meetings about concerns they may have. I am very disappointed in this regard. I hope and expect the Minister of State to bring back to the Minister the concerns I raise, and I expect a direct reply from the relevant Minister.

The Minister of State knows about the great anxiety among members of the public who use their local post offices, the future of which is far from certain given the Department of Social Protection's desire to move social welfare payments to electronic payments. If An Post loses this contract, in the region of 50% of its network will be unviable. I am unashamedly supportive of An Post and the pivotal role and service it provides to the community it serves, be it rural or urban Ireland. The An Post network brand inspires possibly the greatest degree of confidence in the country.

Rural Ireland has seen a severe reduction in services in recent years. We have seen the closure of Garda stations and the forced amalgamation of small schools. Community welfare officers no longer go out to rural communities and rural pubs are closing. All of this is happening as a direct result of Government policy or the lack of support from Government. We have also witnessed the closure of sub-branches of banks. The blame for that cannot be laid at the door of Government because it is a commercial decision.

On 16 July 2013, this House heard statements on the future of the post office network. Deputies from all sides of the House spoke glowingly of the service provided to communities by An Post, but we do not need platitudes, niceties or words of encouragement. We need action. The Department of Social Protection has a crucial play in the sustainability of our post office network. I acknowledge that the Minister for Social Protection has deferred the sending out of the tender until the first quarter of 2014. In the intervening period, she needs to conduct a cost-benefit analysis to see how this would benefit the Exchequer, both economically and socially. A cross-departmental working group needs to be set up involving the Departments of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Justice and Equality, the Environment, Community and Local Government, and Public Expenditure and Reform because An Post, which is a State-owned agency, is under-utilised.

The Irish Postmasters' Union commissioned a report by Grant Thornton which looked at ways in which post offices could better serve the community and enhance the services they provide. They could be given a banking licence to ensure they operate as banks. The post office network could be utilised as a citizens' information bureau. Gardaí could use the post office network as a one-stop-shop in locations where Garda stations have closed. We see a reduction in staff in the various councils. People could pay their motor tax and fines and renew their driving licences through the post office network. There is an opportunity to ensure An Post's network is viable while reducing costs for the State. I hope the Minister of State will bring this issue back to the Minister for Social Protection. At very short notice, I collected 3,000 signatures in part of my constituency from people who were afraid of losing their post office and who are calling on this Government to take direct action to support the future of our post office network.

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