Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I remind the House - reference to it was made by Deputies Ferris and Pearse Doherty - that when we voted on the Private Members' motion, not alone was it carried but it was also unanimous. The Government supported the motion, but then in a cynical exercise it went off and did the opposite. When the Minister of State says it is not a matter for the Government and that An Post is a statutory body, it was the Government that gave it its imprimatur. Ministers, including the Minister from County Donegal, gave An Post their imprimatur to do this. Furthermore, there is the cynical exercise of using settlement patterns, rather than judging on the basis of a population of 1,740 in Kilcar. The Minister of State has said they can go to Carrick or Glencolmcille, but there are no existing transport services that link them. Closing the post office is a much bigger issue because other businesses will suffer as a result and jobs will be lost. I appeal to the Minister of State to request the Minister, Deputy Bruton, to meet the Deputies for County Donegal at the earliest possible date in order that we can make the case directly to him. We cannot hide behind statutory bodies when it is the Government that has taken this decision.

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