Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Department of Social Protection payments constitute up to one third of the business of post offices and without that business, post offices will close. If people are not going in to do business, they will close. Did the development group consider the possibility of EFT capability within the post office network? I agree that we cannot be like Canute in holding back the tide with a rake. However, we must support this accessible network in delivering a public service. It does more than deliver post. It is a network of accessible offices in prime position to provide public, commercial and semi-commercial services, but it needs to be developed if it is to do this. Are we looking at ways and means of ensuring post offices within the network can carry out EFT transactions in the short to medium term?

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