Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We have heard so many positives today about the resilience and work of staff and owners of post offices. I will point out the tacit knowledge that An Post has in its offices; it is the tacit knowledge we cannot see. In our local communities, postmen and postwomen know where people live and they know who is in a house. This is a valuable resource as in rural areas, the postman or postwoman may be the only individual a person might meet in a day or week.

What these people offer amounts to a meet-and-greet service. They are always looking out for the needs of the people, particularly the elderly. They know everybody by name rather than number. All we seem to be doing now is rewarding the banks, who screwed us over while we bailed them out. The Government is now trying to destroy the people who stayed open for business, like those in the post offices, and what is left in rural Ireland's communities. This is happening all around the country.

When knowledge is required, what is the best source? It is the post office. Not everybody is an expert on the Internet but all the Government has done is discouraged people from going to communities and meeting and greeting others. It is trying to take away everything from the people who go to post offices. The Government wants people to use services where they are known by a number rather than a name. People in the post office know a person's name and number. I ask the Minister to think outside the box. The banks screwed us over but the post offices should not be screwed over.

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