Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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92. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the progress that has been made by the Post Office Business Development Group established by the Government to identify and implement new business opportunities for the post office network; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31756/15]

Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I am seeking an update on the progress made by the post office development group established by the Government to identify and implement new business opportunities for the post office network. It is timely for us to have an update on this. The issue of post office closures, particularly in rural areas, is an old chestnut. What is envisaged as the way forward by the development group is for post offices to be put on a sustainable footing. We know there has been a change in the number of people using the postal system, so post offices have had to diversify. Equally, we know that in rural areas there is a deficit in services like banking and so on, so it would seem that post offices could be in a position, if properly supported, to step into that breach and provide vital services to rural communities. There is also the issue of social welfare payments into banks. If the post offices had a range of services to receive money in that fashion, it could address the issue of such payments having to be made to banks.

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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A similar question was asked before this one. I could read the prepared reply into the record for the Deputy's benefit or speak to the issue in general.

Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Minister of State probably does not want to repeat himself.

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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I sat on the business development group and Mr. Bobby Kerr was very sincere and genuine in his approach to pulling together all the various stakeholders. The Minister of State, Deputy Ann Phelan, and I are on the group so there is political input. There are other representative groups and stakeholders as well. From day one, Mr. Kerr was consistent in saying that he wanted outcomes and proposals to go directly to the Minister.

Later in the autumn, after all the consultation input has been collated, we will be making proposals that will not only be going to the Minister, Deputy White's desk, but to Cabinet. Within that, as we discussed with Deputy Moynihan earlier in respect of social welfare and other Government contracts, there are bread and butter issues with the post office which needs these contracts to survive. That has been the focus and has been very much the way Bobby Kerr has steered this. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Bobby's role in this.

It is not finished; there is still a lot of work to do. It is not about convincing the electorate that things might happen. Key commitments must be given by various Departments, whether the Department of Social Protection, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine or the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, where there are services through local authorities that could potentially help post offices. The Deputy's raising of this question today helps to feed into this process and I thank her for that.

Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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As the Minister of State speaks to the wider context, I would like to think that, in terms of the vision for rural Ireland that we are developing, we look to the small towns, which may lack post offices, banking or doctors. Maybe there should be a minimum requirement that people would have these basic services in their small market towns and we should have a reasonable ambition of how this might be delivered. I do not mean every town, but that people would not have to travel beyond a certain radius to access some basic services that people in cities and big urban centres take for granted but for which increasingly people in rural Ireland must travel to avail of. That would consolidate communities. The post office is vital, but it is part of a bigger picture of services that we need to copperfasten for rural Ireland. Often these issues are dealt with in a more ad hoc way. I know this is more the portfolio of the Minister of State, Deputy Ann Phelan, and it requires looking at the bigger picture, but the post offices are crucial.

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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I share Deputy Mulherin's concern and that of all the Deputies. Whether one is on Tory Island, where the postmaster has told me that is where people meet on pension day, where they talk and congregate, or in Letterkenny, Castlebar or Westport, one will be meeting people in the post office and that must be the focus. The bread and butter issue in respect of the service providers, the postmistresses and postmasters is keeping the offices open. That does require Government contracts and we must keep the focus there. As I said earlier, a certain person who runs a post office suggested to me that there is a role for the Wild Atlantic Way. As a Mayo person, Deputy Mulherin can think of post offices along the Wild Atlantic Way, in small villages and towns, which could be information points for people coming in and wanting to know about the services in a particular area. Ideas like that are critical in forming the basis of Bobby Kerr's report and it is important that we continue to feed into it as legislators and remain vigilant. We have to look at other countries too. I saw a photograph recently of a post office in Australia, which was a hub, a place where people congregated, no different from in Ireland. It is the same the world over, but we have to ensure their survival through continued Government intervention.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Does Deputy McNamara want to ask a question?

Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour)
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Yes, a supplementary question. Further to Deputy Mulherin's question, as the Central Bank is pushing towards a cashless society and as more moneys, including social welfare moneys, are lodged to bank accounts, can the Minister of State explain to the House the obstacles to An Post providing banking services and, in particular, every post office having an ATM, not just inside it, but one that is accessible to the community through the weekend as well? Many communities do not have an ATM, which is now a real hindrance as people carry less cash for a variety of reasons. The Minister of State mentioned the Wild Atlantic Way. I made a submission to the group with regard to tourist information offices. It is not only on the Wild Atlantic Way that we need tourist information and post offices are ideally equipped to provide tourist information, both on a national basis and information that is particular to the locality. Maybe they could charge commission for some tourist services. Is there an obstacle to that? What is the obstacle to a greater array of banking services being provided by post offices?

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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I will take the Deputy's first point about the tourism. I must say, I admire that, as a Clare man, he is looking to spread the tourism outwards.

Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour)
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Eastwards, anyway.

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Hopefully he will send a few upwards, because I heard a projected figure of 1.2 million tourists visiting the Cliffs of Moher this year, so they are doing well. I compliment everyone in the tourism sector in County Clare in that regard. He is right that there are opportunities. I am glad he made that submission as well. That is a proactive way of doing that. I do not think there are any obstacles to providing the card. When we think of providing a card for a post office, we do not have to be looking at the possibility of an ATM at a post office because if a person has a current account and has a card, they can use it anywhere, in any other banking outlet. There is work going on in respect of that. Key discussions about financial services and opportunities are happening. To instil confidence in the public, we have to ensure that this agenda stays live.

Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour)
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Tourism.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Thomas Pringle has the next question.

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Sorry, on tourism?

Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour)
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Tourism services.

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Yes, I raised that because it was a submission made by a postmistress in Dunfanaghy, County Donegal, and I am glad to see that Dunfanaghy is on the same wavelength as County Clare.