Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am amazed that the number of post offices to be closed in my county is 12. Where capacity has reached a low ebb in the context of activity levels in some of these post offices, I can understand a postmaster or postmistress making a decision to exit the market. That is understandable and the reasons are very personal. The Kerr report was published in 2016. The Minister tells us that in 2018 An Post has implemented just over 17 of the 19 recommendations made. I put it to him and An Post that many of the post offices affected in County Cork were never contacted or had no engagement on the recommendations made in the Kerr report. Their capacity was reduced to such an extent that they decided to exit the market.

There was no meaningful engagement on the Kerr report in regard to e-payments, motor tax or community hub pilots in respect of many of the post offices in Cork, such as at Minane Bridge, Lackaroe, Drinagh, Carrigadrohid, Ballynoe, Ballyclough, Ballineen and Allihies. It may not seem a long distance but for the people of Allihies to drive to Eyeries is a distance of approximately 11 km and from Lackaroe to Youghal is 5 km. While this does not seem a long distance, it is the loss of an essential service.

The Minister will not convince me that those making the Kerr recommendations, of which the Minister said An Post has accepted 17 of the 19, visited these post offices in any way, shape or form in order to allow these communities at least a fighting chance if they decided they wanted to retain the service in their area. We need a further analysis of some of the postulations of the Minister in terms of his speech to the House. When we stood here in 2017 to reluctantly agree to facilitate the increase in the cost of the stamp to €1, we did so in good faith on the basis that the revenue generated would allow An Post a fighting chance. We did not do it on the basis that 159 post offices would be closed as a result. I do not know if the Minister sold us a pup-----

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