Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:

"recognises:— that the post office network is:

— a unique social, cultural and financial institution that is essential to our local communities and the country as a whole; and

— the largest retail network in Ireland - with 1,147 outlets nationwide - and employs over 3,000 people;

— the role of postmasters in delivering an important economic service to their communities; and

— the commitment in the programme for Government to ensure the sustainability of the post office network and the cross-party acknowledgement that the network provides a

vital national strategic asset;acknowledges:— the continued and irreversible decline in the volume of mail - a 25% reduction over the past five years;

— that the post office network is subject to competition law and the public service is subject to public procurement law;

— the challenges being experienced by the post office network, especially in rural areas, given the changing face of the retail sector with the advancement of e-commerce and the digital economy;

— the suitability of the post office network for over-the-counter transactional business;

— the importance of such over-the-counter services in facilitating cash management by lower-income households;

— the success of the post offices in winning significant new business volumes in recent years, most particularly in the financial services and payment areas;

— the role of An Post, as a commercial State company, to provide a nationwide retail network of economically sustainable post offices and the operational responsibility of

the company in this regard; and

— the input of the reports commissioned by the Irish Postmasters' Union as well as the report of the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications on promoting opportunities regarding the future sustainability of the network;endorses a whole-of-government consideration, encompassing central and local government and the wider public service, of the nature and extent of services that can be provided to the public using the post office network as a "front office of government"; and

encourages all public sector stakeholders to achieve the objective of securing opportunities for new business and maintaining the post office network at the heart of national and local community life."

I welcome this debate on the future of the post office network. I am glad of the opportunity to contribute to it. The post office has a unique standing in Irish life. As an institution, it is trusted and highly respected by the people. Apart entirely from its significant economic contribution over the years, the post office network has evolved a social role, in the widest meaning of the term, which is highly valued by local communities. Perhaps that social role is most valued in rural Ireland, where 64% of the post office network serves 38% of the population. Notwithstanding the changes wrought over the decades, the post office network has stood firm, as testified to by the fact that 1,147 post offices are doing business today. Obviously, I have been disappointed to read headlines in recent days asserting that 557 post offices are to close. The impression is given that somewhere, somehow, the Government has announced there is a plan to shut down post offices. There is no such plan. Unless there is a compelling case, the Government does not want to see a single post office closed. The Government welcomes the fact that although 197 post offices were closed between 2006 and 2010, just 17 closures have occurred since 2010. Only today, a spanking new post office was opened in Terenure. I do not recall closing any office in north or south Kerry.

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