Feargal Quinn (Independent)

Yesterday there was news of the highest inflation rate we have had for some time. It reached 4.4% in November, up from 3.9% in October. Last month the Independent Senators put down a Private Members' motion expressing concern about inflation but got no real response from the Minister. It was just before the budget, and the budget increased inflation again.

The decision to increase current expenditure by 11.5% without any proportionate demands for efficiencies in public services surprised me. It is a major concern that our inflation is very high. The other figure that emerged this morning is a 21% increase in the cost of three areas, energy, housing and water. It is in the hands of the Government to address these three areas. We have not put inflation high enough on the agenda and the Government should direct its attention to it in the next few weeks.

We have recently heard about the danger of rural post offices being closed. Yesterday it was decided to close 2,500 rural post offices in the UK. The cause is that they are not being used by customers. It is in our hands to do something about it. I remember a complaint about a railway closing down in the south. When a rally went to address the relevant Minister in Cork, the Minister asked how many had come by rail and how many had come by car. Although they were there to protest the closure of a railway, practically nobody had come by rail. We are in the same situation with the post office. How many of us use the post office? It is up to us. If the post offices fail it will be because we, as customers, did not use them.