Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I was terribly disappointed that the Government would not take our proposal on board.

When we looked at other parts of the world, we did not need to go further than England, Scotland and Wales to see how many post offices were lost. When one compares that with countries with proper community banking, one sees that they saved their post offices. We wore ourselves to a thread trying to tell that to the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, and other members of the Government. We did everything we could to persuade them, but they did not listen. As a result, what I predicted many years ago in the House has, very sadly, come to pass. We have not lost ten or 20 post offices, we have lost hundreds and I can say to the Minister with absolute confidence that we will lose hundreds more because of Government policy and inaction. We lost those post offices, which there was no need to do. We could have kept people banking in their local communities at a time when pillar banks are doing nothing to help and support our people. Rather, they are trying only to make fools of them. I really do not like that. "Pillar banks" is a term I would love to see being done away with given that they are the pillars of nothing. To me, a pillar is something that holds something up. It is something strong that supports one. I am very glad to be able to support the Private Members' motion tonight and I thank the staff of Deputy Mattie McGrath's office who did a great deal of work to prepare it.

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