Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

He has a duplication of business and he asked me to take the question for him. I welcome the opportunity to do that. The Government is committed to supporting a post office network that meets the needs of communities throughout the country, particularly in rural areas. A modernised post office network will provide a better range of financial services and e-commerce services for shoppers and small businesses as well as Government services. We are all cognisant of the valued and dedicated service that postmasters the length and breadth of the country have given to rural and urban communities over many years.

Across the country, postmasters have taken the difficult decision in recent months to leave the business. It is important to bear in mind that this was a voluntary decision and I am sure that the decisions were not taken lightly. It is important that the decision of those who wish to leave the business is respected. The decision on whether to accept the package was solely one for individual postmasters.

I understand the concerns of older people and communities and that this is an anxious time for many of them. I remind Deputies that more than 500 post offices closed during the economic boom between 2002 and 2007, including 30 post offices in Deputy Gallagher's county of Donegal. No action was taken and the post office network was allowed to fall into decline. No new investment or services were put into it during this period. This Government did not want that to continue.

The postmasters of this country and the communities they serve deserve a clear future and a plan to be put in place for the development of and investment into the post office network and its services. We have now set out a clear path and future for the post office network. Almost two years ago, we were presented with a future for An Post and the post office network that was uncertain and extremely bleak. There was a real possibility that the company would go under. The potential for a complete shutdown of postal services with the loss of thousands of jobs was undeniable. Immediate action was needed to ensure the survival of An Post and the post office network. This was necessary to protect thousands of jobs across the country and specifically the 9,000 people working in An Post. Two years later, critically important decisions have been made. An Post has been stabilised because of the action that has been taken. The company is changing from a 19th century model to one that has relevance and can have resonance in the 21st century in rural and in urban areas.

There is widespread acceptance that the post office network requires modernisation to build, maintain and protect a service that meets the needs of communities throughout the country. An Post's renewed vision for the post office network centres on the availability of new services in a modernised and revitalised network. These services must include a better range of Government services, financial services and e-commerce services for shoppers and small businesses.

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