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

The Minister of State noted that 50% of the payments made through post offices are in the form of cash. People chose to collect their payments in cash from rural post offices for a variety of reasons, such as fear of the banks or convenience. This cash supports other businesses in a local community, from the grocer and butcher to the petrol station. The cash inflow is very welcome to the local community. However, the Government's strategy aims at reducing significantly the proportion of welfare payments made in cash by progressively migrating customers to electronic fund transfers. If that happens the future of 50% of our post office network is finished, along with all the other services that have been eroded in rural Ireland over the past several years.

This Government can make policy decisions that will support the post office network. We have seen what happened in parts of England where the post office network was eroded. This is more than simple economics; it is a social service to a community. I urge the Government to consider the recommendations in the Grant Thornton report commissioned by the Irish Postmasters' Union in regard to enhancing the services provided, such as providing a banking licence to An Post so that people can have their money paid into a bank account and withdrawn from local post offices. An Post is working on an e-payments card to facilitate electronic payments but it needs the Government's support. It is a State owned agency and it is under utilised at present. I hope the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the Minister for Social Protection can put aside the difficulties they appear to have with each other in order to work alongside the other relevant Departments to develop a robust strategy that maintains one of the pillar services for our communities. I do not want An Post to suffer the fate of many other services over the years, of being gone and never to be seen again.

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