Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State, but I will return to the fact that Tipperary town needs a guarantee that, in the event that it fails to choose a postmaster or, if down the road it chooses to opt out, An Post would resume responsibility. I am asking for the Minister to examine this and respond to us. The Government speaks about how the town is in need of revitalisation and it has funded a task force, but it then took a decision like this. That is absolutely crazy as far as we are concerned. It flies completely in face of everything they have been doing to try to revitalise towns such as Tipperary.

I acknowledge the Minister has named another four towns, but to the best of my knowledge, Tipperary town is the only place to which the Government is giving money to revitalise. The other four towns are not affected by that. That is why we are asking for the Minister to get directly involved with An Post and the revitalisation task force to come to a solution and give guarantees to Tipperary town.

I want to raise the issue of jobs as well. An Post can say that this is not a matter of downgrading their jobs, but the staff have been given the opportunity to either stay in the post office or go to the postmaster for a new contract. There is no guarantee that their contract and conditions will be the same. We are asking for the Government to intervene or engage with An Post to make sure that if the staff choose to leave An Post and go to the postmaster, their conditions will be same as they would have been if they had stayed with An Post.

Before I finish, I will again say that we are not in favour of this. We have no problem with the post offices upgrading their services, etc., but there must be one in the middle of a town like Tipperary. As I said, all the indicators are that this a town that is in need of help and not for services to be taken away from it.

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