Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is from rural Ireland and he understands. If it was not the intention of the letter, why was it sent? Why were people told to reply via freepost? When something is sent via freepost, the postmistress or postmaster gets nothing for it. This is a concerted attack on post offices. I welcome the fact a report is being worked on but the Department of Social Protection must be reined in and restrained. Its policy statement of 2013 stated it wanted all but 3% of transactions to be electronic by 2015. This is the death knell for post offices and the social aspect in rural Ireland about which the Minister of State spoke and about which we all know. There is deception going on here. I do not say the Minister of State is involved, rather departmental officials and whoever. Yesterday the Taoiseach announced in a blaze of glory that he will send all his Ministers and Deputies to visit small businesses in rural Ireland to see what the Government can do and that they will not be discriminated against in the new constitution. We are discriminating against self-employed postmistresses and postmasters who do Trojan work and give employment, pay rates and taxes and look after people. Unless this codology is dealt with, we will have no post offices. If this is implemented in one single swoop, they will be gone. The letter should not have been sent out. Apologies should be sent out. The biggest insult is that replies are to be sent via freepost to ensure the postmistress or postmaster does not get a cent from it. It is undermining and closure by stealth. Brostaigh ort leis an situation sin.

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