James Heffernan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I join others in congratulating the fantastic performances of Irish sporting teams, from hockey right through to rugby. I take this opportunity to once again offer my commiserations to the Kilmallock senior hurlers who have had a fantastic year which ended in heartbreak on St. Patrick's Day. It was another heartbreak for Limerick teams in Croke Park and things do not become easier the more often they happen.

I wish to propose an amendment to the Order of Business. A matter was brought to my attention last week by a concerned customer of the post office network. The person received a letter from the Department of Social Protection encouraging him or her to abandon collection of a payment in a post office in a local town and instead have it transferred electronically into a bank account. The Department is trying to take customers away from using the post office service and make them fork out for bank charges for welfare payments.We are hearing platitudes from the Government. The establishment of the post office business development group, the aim of which is to examine how to further develop the post office network, was well heralded by the Minister of State with responsibility for rural affairs. At the same time, another Department is trying to pull customers away from the post office network. As the Leader knows, there is tremendous fear in parts of rural Ireland that have lost certain services, including banks, Garda stations and creameries. It seems that the post office network is being undermined by one Department at a time when another Department under the same Government is committed to it. One hand does not know what the other hand is doing. The Government seems to be talking out of both sides of its mouth on this issue. We need clarity. We need to hear a response from the relevant Minister. I am not even too sure anymore who that is supposed to be. He or she needs to come in here and express support for the Irish Postmasters Union, which has said that no further transfer of post office transactions to the commercial banks should be pursued-----