Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. I wish to address some points relating to An Post. It is two years since the Grant Thornton report commissioned by the Irish Postmasters Union set out a strategy to revitalise the post office network. One of the key issues addressed in that report was the importance of Government contracts and support for the post office network.

The post office network is a key national resource. It is important that it is viewed as more than a group of commercial entities. I note the Minister's comments that most post offices are not under the control of his Department, but we must bear in mind that the post offices serve a valuable social purpose and play a unique and important role in communities across the country. I am happy that the Government has established the post office network business development group to examine the issues, but what about the many suggestions in the Grant Thornton report? I hope the group will consider that report as part of its work. I welcome the appointment of Mr. Bobby Kerr, who has an impressive CV, to face the challenge.

The terms of reference for the group are to explore the potential opportunities for attracting business for the post office network. It is welcome that the Irish Postmasters Union is included in the group, but I am disappointed that the National Post Office Users' Association has not been included. I was present when it was launched in Gullane's Hotel, Ballinasloe, in July last year. It is a mistake to exclude the users of post services from the group. They would provide useful input and perspectives to assist the group in its work. They might also be able to highlight the social importance of post offices to rural Ireland and to show that we must not fall for mere commercial arguments about competition when there are more important local needs that must be protected. I pay tribute to former councillor, Michael John Kilgannon, Ms Angela McGuinness and others who convened the National Post Office Users Association.

Rural Ireland has been under sustained attack under this Government. Decisions made in Dublin, be it about the provision of maternity services, mental health services or post offices, often appear to be left in the hands of bean counters and bureaucrats who might have an eye to the economic bottom line but who do not appear to understand the need, particularly in rural areas, to have decent levels of service provided to people.

In many ways, debates about the sustainability of services in rural post offices are a little unreal when one considers that more than 270 managers in An Post received a bonus of €3,000 to reward performance last year, despite a hike in stamp prices being introduced to cover major losses in the An Post group. The Government is also happy to introduce a broadcasting tax to look after its friends in RTE, whereas little thought is given to looking after the vital rural An Post network.

One issue that shone through the Grant Thornton report and one which arises at every meeting with An Post users and postmasters is the importance of Government contracts. I was disappointed with the recent statement by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, that there are no plans to facilitate the payment of motor tax renewals at post offices. This is a remarkable position given that postmasters have repeatedly stated such a facility would be the easiest and most obvious additional service that could be delivered by post offices. Its introduction, according to postmasters, could save taxpayers €63 million over five years.

While we are seeking new ways to attract business to An Post, Ministers are turning their backs on the company. An Post provides wide-ranging services, including €9 billion in payments to welfare customers. It is important that we do not buy into a slavish interpretation of European directives. Other countries such as France are good at finding derogations to mitigate the effect of EU regulations. A certain proportion of songs played on radio in France must be in the French language, for example. We, in Ireland, seem to be unable to make the argument that strong local services are needed. We must use every means at our disposal to ensure we continue to have a strong post office network, especially for the sake of people in rural areas.