Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Very worrying reports have been circulating in my community to the effect that the Department of Social Protection branch office in Castlepollard, County Westmeath, which serves Castlepollard, Oldcastle, Delvin, Collinstown, Coole, Castletown, Finea, Lismacaffrey and Street is possibly in danger of closure. As the Minister can imagine, this has caused extreme concern in the large rural hinterland served by this branch office. This is an area largely not serviced by public transport. If the Department's services were to be located elsewhere, it would case a lot of hardship. Will the Minister give an undertaking that this branch office will be kept open and that the full range of Department of Social Protection services currently on office will continue to be provided? I have written to the Minister for Social Protection on this matter. It would be greatly appreciated if assurances could be given to the local communities and the employees involved. We should not continue to keep taking the heart out of rural Ireland and its people by closing branch offices such as this.

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