Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)

Any decision on offices and outlets is a matter for the company and has been since the foundation of the company, and they are commercial decisions. That being said, when I meet with An Post, and any time I have met An Post, its representatives are very keen to point out that what it has been doing in the recent past, by virtue of the fact that it has gotten significant financial support, is looking to see if there a viable alternative in the immediate area it is prepared to take on. Unfortunately, we have had situations where there have been closures and there have been alternatives, but those alternatives are not willing to take it on, which is their choice.

9 o’clock

They do not have to take it on but that means if a postmaster is retiring, and an office is closing and nobody else wants to take it on, inevitably, we are looking at closure. The reality is, however, that in the past number of years the number of closures has gone down. This is not just something that is unique to rural areas. We have seen a substantial number of urban offices close as well.

The Deputy is right that post offices do not stay open on the basis of sentiment; they stay open on the basis of transactions. There is no point coming to a public meeting to keep a post office open if you have not been in a post office for the past 12 months. That is the reality. Postmasters cannot operate on the basis of sentiment. They have to operate on the basis of transaction and loyalty from the local community.

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