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

In the programme for Government negotiations over two years ago, much of the discussion centred around rural Ireland and the losses of services that left a trail of devastation in rural towns and villages throughout Ireland, in particular, in west Cork. Immediately after votes here in the Dáil today, I will return to Ballydehob in west Cork for a public meeting to save the local post office, run efficiently by Ms Bridie Roycroft. This woman is one of many postmasters and mistresses who received letters recently telling them of losses in their future income and offering them a chance to engage in a get-out redundancy. Bridie has come out to the public fighting and is a model for other postmasters and mistresses throughout this country as she has decided to ask her community does it want a post office. From what I have heard, she has got, and will tonight get, overwhelming support in Ballydehob as people plead with Bridie to keep the service open to the community. Ever since she started the public battle, many have cancelled getting payments through direct debit and are now going back to Ballydehob post office for their payments as they knew it was a case of use it or lose it.

Tonight's public meeting will again demonstrate to all how this village needs its post office, and the meeting will be replicated throughout the country in the coming weeks. What do I say to the people of Ballydehob and beyond tonight who will attend? Do I tell them the truth, that Fine Gael Governments, both this and the previous one, have failed as of yet to put new life into the post offices? Over two years ago, the Government promised rural proofing and there was no delivery, as there is now a 15 km limit placed between post offices in rural communities. Two years ago, they promised to look into community banking for post offices - no delivery. Two years ago, they promised to look into the facilitation of motor tax payments through post offices - no delivery. Two years ago, in the programme for Government, they promised that post offices would be a one-stop shop for Government services - no delivery. Many more promises were made but as of yet there has been no delivery on the ground. While Government TDs may lament throughout the country about post office closures in their communities, it is all crocodile tears as they have failed to date to sit down as a Government collectively and honestly looking at saving rural post offices.

Redundancy packages are not a way of solving problems. Communities must come out and save their own post offices but if the Government - this being almost the same Government since 2011 - fails to energise post offices by channelling new services through the door, it has failed these post offices and rural Ireland.

Ballydehob, like other rural towns, cannot afford to lose its post office. The Mizen peninsula, where Ballydehob sits, has seen two banks it had closed by the previous Government, leaving no day-to-day bank service within 40 km for many. They have seen Garda stations closed by the previous Government. Local pubs, shops and businesses have closed in the past few years. Cuts to schools' capitation grants have seen our schools struggle for funds. The closed school bus rule has generated more difficulties for parents in rural communities. The Government cut home help service hours for our elderly and yesterday's report on our cataract service proves the Government let elderly people going blind wait five years for cataract operations in west Cork. This is appalling, as the focus by Government was on how could it force cuts on rural Ireland rather than on how it could work with rural Ireland to rebuild and thrive. What can I say to the people of Ballydehob tonight or to other communities in west Cork who have been let down by successive Governments and who are sick of empty promises to save their post offices?

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