Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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52. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the way in which her Department proposes to oversee and monitor the implementation of actions to support the post office network arising out of the report of the post office renewal board and the Post Office Hub Working Group as outlined in point 20 of the Action Plan for Rural Development; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4246/17]

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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We are all aware of the importance of the post office as a key part of the infrastructure of rural villages and towns throughout the country. Often they stand alone as the last bastion or outpost and as a place for the provision of communal services where people, especially the elderly, can come to meet and discuss matters. We have numerous reports, including the Kerr report, the report of the Post Office Hub Working Group and the McKinsey report, and are now suffocating in a sea of vague commitments but nothing concrete has happened to date. Will the Minister put an end to the prevailing uncertainty and seize the initiative? We know what is required which is to recognise the social value of the post office network to the people of rural Ireland.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Post Office Network Business Development Group, chaired by Mr. Bobby Kerr, was established in late 2014 to examine the potential for additional Government business as well as commercial business to be transacted through the post office network. The final report of the group was published in January 2016.

On foot of the report, two working groups were established to progress the recommendations arising from the report of the business development group. These were the Post Office Network Renewal Implementation Group, chaired by Mr. Kerr, and the Post Office Hub Working Group, which I chaired.

The network renewal group examined a number of issues relating to the post office network, including the number and spatial distribution of post offices, branch modernisation, the streamlining of products and services, and postmaster contracts. Mr. Kerr submitted his final report to An Post on 23 December last.

The role of the Post Office Hub Working Group was to identify potential models under which the post offices could act as community hubs, especially in rural areas. This working group has completed its work and final drafting changes are currently being made to the group’s report. I will make this report available to the Government as soon as possible.

The recommendations arising out of these reports will be considered by the board of An Post and the Government and I anticipate that a number of firm actions will be agreed for delivery by An Post and my Department as well as, potentially, other Departments.

These actions will be monitored on an ongoing basis by my Department through its direct engagement in delivery as well as through the processes which are being put in place to monitor the implementation of the Action Plan for Rural Development as a whole. A monitoring committee, which will be chaired by the Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys, will meet regularly to monitor the progress of each of the actions in the plan. The monitoring committee will include the key stakeholders from relevant public bodies as well as business and rural interests. Progress reports will be published every six months.

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for the extensive reply and do not doubt his bona fides. However, would the Minister of State agree that having the provision of financial services at its core is essential to the survival of the post office network? My colleague, Deputy Burton, as Minister, was a strong advocate of the basic payment account system. She also advocated the potential of the German Sparkasse model for the development of public banks, which could be integrated into this, along with the credit union movement. Surely some liaison could be struck that would ensure that services are available to rural people. There is a huge deficit, if not a dearth, of banking services, particularly for the elderly. The banks disgraced themselves with the way they treated individuals throughout the country, but they disgraced themselves even more so with the way they treated communities in the country. As the Minister of State knows, they closed everything. They ran away and left the Government carrying the can and this is the one way Government can redress the situation. It is absolutely essential that there is a provision of services. In the context of the McKinsey report, is that part of the core recommendation? As I understand it, although I may have taken him up wrong, Mr. McRedmond recently stated that we should perhaps consider having full banking services rather than just the basic payment account.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Penrose is a plain speaking man. To outline the situation, I put a lot of work into this over the past six months and was hoping to have the report ready for Government before Christmas. I do not have statutory responsibility for An Post, but I have been given the role by Government to see what can be done to improve the services. Mr. Kerr gave his report to An Post on 23 December. I met Mr. Kerr as well as representatives from the Irish Postmasters' Union and, on Thursday morning, I will meet Mr. McRedmond again.

I will tell the Deputy what I am doing and I will put it on the record today. I will arrange to meet with representatives from the Irish Postmasters' Union, Mr. McRedmond, who I will meet this Thursday, and my officials next week. Certain proposals have been made by Mr. Kerr and the Department is also making proposals and I hope that we can reach agreement on them.

Deputy Penrose spoke about the basic payments and community banking. Deputy Burton has tabled a question on the matter also. The Government has committed to and is examining this.

At every opportunity I get, I am like Deputy Penrose, that is, straight talking. There is no point having rural post offices if people do not use them. I listened to and watched people that never stood in a post office out protesting. They are great for protesting. They will come out when there is a protest but if they had to get a few stamps they would go into town and not get them in the local post office. I hope that we can get agreement when this report is done and that the rural community will support the post offices.

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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I concur. As the part-owner of a rural shop, the rush of people out of rural villages into large towns is a scandal. They bypass everything. I will not participate in any protest about any of those services - post office or otherwise - because if people used them they would be under less threat. I put it to the Minister of State that the final Kerr report is, no doubt, an excellent report and I have no doubt that the Department, among others, had a good input into it. However, is the secret here not that the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, and those in his Department are recalcitrant? They have no interest in advancing this matter and the Minister of State has an awful fight on his hands. I know it. I am plain speaking as well and I may as well be doubly plain speaking with the Minister of State because he understands it. He was not brought up with a silver spoon. The situation is that I know the way the Minister for Finance and those in his Department work because I saw it with the Bankruptcy Bill. They can put blockages where even a magician would not put a blockage. That is what they are doing. I know what the Minister of State faces. Get the Minister for Finance and his officials together and we will make rural Ireland survive with the help of the people, but the rural communities better get off their butts as well and stop complaining and looking for a protest. We have enough of that racket going on throughout the country. I am not part of that protest movement. It is part of an action movement we should be.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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An action plan for rural Ireland.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I have never been in that Department but I see that Deputy Burton is smiling. She was very close to those in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and knows that what Deputy Penrose is saying is correct. I will do my best. I must say that the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, has given me great support as has the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Donohoe. However, when I bring this to Government is when I will know if I have real support. I can tell the Deputy one thing, which is that I am waiting now to try to reach a resolution between An Post and the postmasters. I will bring it to Government and I have no doubt that the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, will support me. I hope many of my colleagues will also. We have a plan but we will need a few euros. I have no doubt that the Department and the Government will not be found wanting.

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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I hope the Minister of State is right.