Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

First, I thank the Members of the House for inviting me to discuss the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications report on the post office network. I commend the committee for undertaking this useful piece of work and on the level of consultation it has undertaken with interested parties. The number of individuals and organisations which responded is testament to the public interest in the network and in its future.

This is the second significant report on the post office network in the space of a year. The Irish Postmasters' Union commissioned Grant Thornton to produce a report on the future of the post office network which provides a number of interesting proposals to enhance the viability of the network.

Turning to the report of the Oireachtas committee, in general I agree with the thrust of the report which examines the current configuration of the network, the importance of government contracts and makes suggestions for extra business for post offices. In its recommendations, the report acknowledges the vital role that post offices play in local communities in both financial and social terms.

In financial terms, post offices serve as a financial hub and as the front office for Government business and utility providers. Equally important, the post office serves as a social hub for local communities. The desirability of channelling more Government business through the network is emphasised, although the requirement to adhere to EU procurement obligations is also recognised. Improvements to the manner in which An Post handles the closure of post offices are recommended, as is the desirability of managing the cost of operating the network. The recommendations reflect a common-sense approach to improving the viability and sustainability of the network and I am pleased to say many of the suggestions made have been adopted, at least in part, by An Post.

The local post office is seen as an immutable, unchanging part of the Irish landscape. That is true, however, only up to a point.