Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----but I know of individual cases in which people are literally struggling from day to day.

The Minister says she has invited the branch managers to re-enter discussions with Mr. Duffy and the facilitation process. I welcome all dialogue and discussions but I want an assurance from the Minister that the facilitation process will not be like what it has been up to now, whereby the people in question are in one room, Mr. Duffy speaks to them, he goes in and talks to the Civil Service and he comes back and says to the branch managers, "These guys are not for budging." That is what the facilitation process consisted of. That is why we are here. That is why the problem remains unresolved. What we want is a proper facilitation process.

Is it the Department's intention to close a number of these branches? The Minister need not be specific on the actual figure. This would happen not because of anything being done wrong; it would happen, presumably, as part of a rationalisation process. The people in question would have done nothing wrong. If the branch is closed in these circumstances, if the service is discontinued from a branch, will the local branch officer, the person who owns the building, be compensated for the loss of his or her livelihood?

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