Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

At the end of the day the policies to support rural Ireland have to be substantial and of the same substance and essence in terms of the direction we take. We cannot be having on the hoof conversations on a regular basis about postal services and the facilities that will be offered to An Post and, consequently, to the public. We need to ensure there is a sustained focus on delivering services through An Post, which is why the policies have to be of the same substance and essence as the rest of the policies to support rural Ireland. Does the Minister accept the postal service is an integral part of providing a service to rural Ireland? If that proposition is accepted, what we need to do is ensure it is supported in a dynamic way. For example, the Kerr report outlines in great detail what should and could be done. There is also the New Zealand-style community banking. I know this is something that is being looked at, but has it been looked at in detail? Has due diligence been done on it? Could we have clarity on what exactly the Government will do to develop policies to support An Post rather than undermining it by closing postal services?

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