Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I endorse with what my colleagues have said about their local post offices because the same applies to my area. I informed the Minister's office about the position in Carlanstown where a postal agency has closed. They do not cost An Post anything, but they provide an unbelievably valuable service in distributing social welfare payments. Just like the village mentioned by my colleague, there is no public transport between Carlanstown and Kells post office, despite the fact that the NTA promised such a service approximately one year ago. This is a very serious issue. The heart is being pulled out of villages and people are being told to travel to the nearest town. The nearest town - Kells - is very important, but it is also seriously important to protect villages. I ask the Minister of State and the Minister to go back to An Post with what he has said in the House about Kentstown post office because it does not tally with what I am told on the ground by people who were interested in taking on the position. They expressed interest to An Post, but the terms and conditions were simply too onerous for anybody to open a new post office. The population of Kentstown is approximately 1,200 people and a post office was promised but not delivered, which was the most cynical exercise ever. To sugarcoat the dreadful announcement made last year, we were told about all of the post offices being opened, but then we found that there was no sugarcoating. That leave a bitter taste in the mouths of people.

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