Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I know from the tone of the speech from the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, that his heart is not in it. He knows rural Ireland as well as I do. The response was prepared by An Post and endorsed by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. The one honest sentence indicates this was based on a "voluntary redundancy package" so why would 80% of the post office union not endorse it? It was in their interests. I am not critical of those who accepted the redundancy package but An Post should have replaced the services lost where people took the package. The response further indicates that some of the services or all could be provided in another retailer. The deadline for that was Wednesday, 31 October. How can we ask these people to run a business when decisions were not taken until into November and some will not be taken until December? How could a submission be made in advance of that?

It is a very sad day. If the Minister has a duplication of business, it means this is less important than the business he is now attending to. To us this is the most important business being discussed in this House today. It is a total insult to us as Deputies and to rural Ireland that this is being done. It is just not good enough. We are not prepared to accept this. We are looking for the Minister to meet a representative cross-party group of Deputies to discuss this matter and the associated protocols. Who appointed these people? It is a box ticking exercise. I ask the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, to confirm tonight that the Minister will meet that group of rural Deputies.

See this speech in context