Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak about this issue, which again highlights the Government's persistence in taking plans designed for cities and almost inflicting them on parts of rural Ireland. Not a week goes by without at least one person in my offices, be that in Mullingar, Longford or Athlone, at their wits' end over broadband not being able to access a decent connection. Yet again we see this drive, if the Acting Chairman will pardon the pun, towards being able to access services only online and this smoke-and-mirrors attitude to there being an in-person option when we know that, in reality, that does not exist. This disenfranchises and angers people because they feel victimised because of where they live. More concerningly, a point that has not been made is that it also makes this very difficult for people who struggle with literacy. This is a reflection of the for-profit model of outsourcing. The Government may wish to do away with walk-in services, and that may be applicable and acceptable in some areas, but the public purse pays for this service and, as such, it should suit the entirety of the public.

To echo what my colleague, Deputy O'Rourke, has said, this is a real missed opportunity for the An Post network. We see this consistently throughout the NDLS. People are notifiable only by text or email. At present there are no weekend appointments in Mullingar or Athlone until 2 April. Longford fares a little better but not by much. Responses I received to parliamentary questions last week state that the driver test list in Longford now numbers 944. In Westmeath, the corresponding figure is 2,689. The Government appears to have conveniently forgotten the debacle surrounding the public services card. The public have not, nor have they forgotten the statement by the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, at the time that it was not a mess despite costing €60 million. Obviously, the definition of a mess does not include costing a small fortune. At local level, the quality of political gymnastics by Government representatives is now truly an act to behold as they try to distance themselves from this Government decision. If this were an Olympic event, the Minister of State's Government colleagues would take gold.

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