Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Based on the rolling audit taking place among post offices and the reduction in transactions there is concern in rural communities that it will not be viable for many of the independent postmasters to continue to provide the service they are providing. I am sure the Minister would accept that the loss of the post office in such communities would signal the death knell of those communities and it would only be a matter of time before other services are hollowed out.

We need Government action to identify the kinds of State services that can be delivered through the post office network. There is no point in doing it when it is too late. As the post offices become less viable, once these people retire the positions will not be taken up by others and the long-term future of rural Ireland will be seriously eroded. Time is of the essence here.

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