Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

There is nothing I disagree with in either Deputies approach. I met the postmasters last week and the post office report is a very solid report. It is not only about the post office but about the postmen and postwomen who go out to communities and houses. For many people, this is the only contact they may have, and let us be realistic about it.

As I said, through the community services programme, we are supporting many organisations across the country, including in Waterford and Offaly, that are driving meals on wheels, which is again human interaction. We are working to support our men's sheds and the growing number of women's sheds, but men's sheds in particular because they are focused on older men or men who have retired and getting them into a group gathering. The men's shed movement has done huge work, particularly in targeting rural isolation among older men. Everyone in this Chamber at present is a rural TD and we know that is a challenge. I thank the men's sheds for doing that.

Regarding Local Link, 148 new services have been progressed by the National Transport Authority, NTA, in recent years, connecting 190 towns and villages to the bigger public transport network. That connection was not there previously. As I said, through CLÁR, we are funding specific interventions on transport to allow for meals on wheels, community organisations and medical transport across the country, which are making a big difference.

There is much work under way in different strands. We might need to tidy it all up and look at how it is addressing rural isolation and loneliness.

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