Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Pages 50 and 51 of the programme for Government state that: "We will establish a working group to identify the potential for local post offices to act as 'hubs' to facilitate other services such as health and transport, and a one-stop-shop for all Government services." Even community banking and handling car tax were proposed as a major step to save our post offices. More than two years later, in excess of 390 rural post offices throughout the country received letters from An Post, telling them that a drop in their income will be going ahead due to the sorting of mail and other things being taken from them. They were then offered a package to get out. One of these, among others, in west Cork, was the post office in Ballydehob, which, I may add, is one of the busiest post offices in west Cork due to the hard-working Bridie, the postmistress.

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