Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The issue of the sustainability of our post offices has been raised by a number of Senators over the last few weeks. We have raised it on a few occasions, and Senator Marie-Louise O'Donnell raised it yesterday. I am sure we have all received correspondence and copies of the forms the Department of Social Protection is issuing. Anyone who looks at this fairly will see clearly that the Department of Social Protection is showing a clear preference for any social welfare payments to be made to what it calls financial institutions, or banks. At the very end of the form, it states that should the recipient not have a bank account, he or she should give their post office details.

We all want a sustainable post office network. This is a major part of post offices' function across urban and rural Ireland and they provide a very good service. They are the front line for many social welfare payments and they also provide an anti-fraud function because the staff know the customers who come in to collect payments. It is quite disturbing, after all the discussions we have had with the Irish Postmasters' Union and all the discussions the Minister has had, that the Department of Social Protection would issue these forms directing people to give bank account details.

We need a sustainable post office system. If more and more people move away from it, we will be talking about more closures in a few years' time. I ask the Leader to use his office to raise this matter with the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, should he agree with me, and I am sure he does. We want a sustainable post office network and the Department should not be showing a preference for our banking institutions above our post office. Senator Kelly has also raised this matter. I ask the Leader and all Members to raise this issue, particularly with the Government parties and the Minister with responsibility for this, Deputy Joan Burton. Perhaps we could have a discussion on the matter in the next week or so.

We have all read interviews recently about Michael Lyster and the event he experienced just a few weeks ago. He took ill and had a heart attack and his wife saved his life using CPR. He is a very prominent person.His wife's interview was excellent, as was his, and I wish him a full recovery. It brings me back to a matter that has been raised here on a number of occasions by Senator Quinn and others, including me, about the provision of defibrillators around our towns and cities. The provision is sparse and is being carried out on a voluntary basis. There is no plan from a Department of Health perspective even on their provision in our schools. I have asked before and I ask again that the Minister for Health or a Minister of State at the Department attend the House to address this specific issue. Let us help to provide a plan for the provision of defibrillators. More than that, I am firmly of the view that CPR should be taught in schools. If it is age-appropriate, it could be left to secondary school, with transition year being, perhaps, the ideal time to do it. It could be provided as part of the physical education curriculum. It is a skill all of us should have. I hate to say that I do not have it myself, but I will make it my business to take a CPR course over the summer. I am involved in the regional drugs task force in north Dublin, all of the staff of which are trained. If we could get our school children and students trained, it would be useful. I ask that we have a discussion on CPR and defibrillators. I will write to the Minister to suggest that it be taught in schools by experts as part of the curriculum. Students in transition year are 14 or 15 years of age and are well able for it. Let us see if that is possible.

Colleagues of mine will be moving amendments to the Order of Business today. Senator Mark Daly will be moving one on collusion, while Senator Terry Leyden will be moving the other.