Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister is aware, the issue of post offices is one he passed back fairly quickly. He is not in charge of it and I do not blame him. It is, however, something that has had a huge affect on many places in rural Ireland. Over the past couple of months, we have seen proposals to close many post offices. Most of those, proportionately, are in rural areas and communities that already have huge problems. Many of the towns where the post offices are being closed are ones where the bank went not that long ago and where the credit unions are under pressure. All these services are under huge pressure. As a rural Minister and a Minister looking after rural affairs, the criteria that An Post is using are the most anti-rural that could be used. Under the review mechanism, it says that a settlement of people in a rural area must be 500 or more in 50 occupied dwellings, no more than 100 m apart. Anyone who can come up with that does not understand rural Ireland. Will the Minister do something about this? Will he do something to invest in these communities to ensure they can prosper into the future?

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