Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise an issue that highlights the shoddy attitude that big business can have to the ordinary man and woman and what it is getting away with it. I refer on this occasion to insurance companies, not banks. An elderly woman in my home town was unable to pay her car insurance premium by postal order. She sent her postal order to the insurance company but it was returned and the company demanded that she pay by credit card. Ultimately, she had to get a family member to supply a credit card number. There is a cohort of older people and people from a certain socioeconomic background who have limited options when making payments. It is scandalous that an insurance company will not accept a postal order, for which a person has presented cash to the post office.

This undermines services provided by An Post. I can give someone a postal order to pay a bill and he or she can lodge it in a bank similar to lodging a cheque. I am bewildered that this company would not accept a postal order. This demonstrates haughtiness and the fact that it can get away with it. I would like the new Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to come to the House to discuss issues relating to our post offices, including sustaining the network, which is always topical.

I previously raised the issue of us trying to stimulate more commercial business for the post office network to make sure it has a future and that it can engage in activities that provide a service to the community.We want that excellent post office network to remain in place. The Bobby Kerr report was commissioned so that avenues could be explored and developed to make this happen. I would like the Minister to come before the House to outline the progress made within the working groups and, in particular, to pursue the issue I raised of post offices being allowed to process and handle driving licence applications on account of the new tender procedure being pursued by the Road Safety Authority. This would bring matters in line with the system for passport applications and create new business. It is another way to sustain post offices. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister to come before the House because this is an issue that affects the entire country, throughout which the post office network is spread.