Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I attended a meeting in the village of Gurteen at 6 p.m. last Sunday evening, to which 450 people turned up. The post office in the village is being closed and it is the wrong decision. To use An Post's protocol, Mr. David McRedmond stated on RTÉ radio that where there was a population of 500 people, the post office would not close. An Post is using the 2016 census figures which are three years old in the case of this post office and on that basis is going to close it. As I said, it is the wrong decision as it is a very busy post office that would survive. Rural Deputies ask in the House for support for rural people, rural areas and villages. We are now in this position. The pensioners who collect their pension payments in Gurteen, County Sligo will now have to make a journey of 14 km to collect them. As many of them do not have a car, they will have to pay somebody to bring them there and back. Five post offices in the area have already been closed. I know that some have to close as they are not viable, but this one is. To add insult to injury, An Post officials arrived yesterday and put up a brand new sign on the post office, which is due to close in eight days. I ask the Taoiseach to talk to the Minister, Deputy Bruton, to see what can be done because this decision is wrong.

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