Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after “Seanad Éireann:” and substitute the following:

“recognising that:

- post offices provide crucial economic, administrative and social services to communities all around Ireland, especially to those in rural and isolated areas;

- technological and societal changes have presented significant challenges to the existing post office business model and, as a result, the post office network is in need of modernisation to build, maintain and protect a service that meets the needs of communities across the country, both rural and urban, for the medium and long-term;

- the announcement by An Post of 159 voluntary closures stems from an agreement reached in May with the Irish Postmasters’ Union (IPU) Executive, which was endorsed by 80% of IPU members;

- in its negotiations with An Post, postmasters sought both the modernisation of the network and a voluntary redundancy package for those that wanted to leave the business;

- postmasters throughout the country have given dedicated service to rural and urban communities over many years and individual decisions to exit the business, for whatever reason, must be respected;

- the agreement between An Post and the IPU represents an important first step in reinvigorating our national post office network and making it a viable, sustainable and modern network for the future;

- the Programme for Government committed to revitalising the An Post network through the introduction of new services; and

- it is longstanding Government policy that postal services will not be directly subsidised by the State, a policy which has been supported by successive Governments;

noting that:

- the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment has taken significant action to ensure the future viability of An Post and secure the future of the post office network, and these actions have resulted in a restructuring of the company, expansion of services in the post office network and have protected thousands of jobs in the postal sector across the country;

- a Government investment of €30 million was secured for An Post in order to safeguard the five day a week mail delivery service (€15 million) and to protect post office counter services (€15 million);

- Government action has enabled An Post to stabilise its financial position, develop and begin to implement a strategic plan which has seen the company split into two distinct business units:(i) An Post Mail and Parcels, and

(ii) An Post Retail;- as part of its strategic plan An Post announced a renewed vision for the post office network which centres on the availability of new services in a modernised, revitalised network, and critical to the implementation of this vision is the deal secured with the IPU;

- An Post is committed to investing €50 million in growing and modernising the post office network over the next few years, which is the equivalent of €45,000 per post office across the country;

- the Government continues to provide significant business to An Post through the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection social welfare contract and National Treasury Management Agency business;

- An Post has confirmed that it has implemented 17.5 of the 19 recommendations of the Final Report of the Post Office Network Business Development Group (Kerr Report) which relate to An Post, and arising from the recommendations of the Kerr Report, Government funding of €80,000 has been allocated to rollout a pilot scheme called ‘Digital Assist’ which will see 10 post offices being equipped to help citizens with online Government interactions;

- the Government has also approved the establishment of an interdepartmental working group, which will report to Government by the end of the year, to identify options, including procurement frameworks, for delivering services to those citizens who do not wish to use, or are unable to use digital services;

- the Government has recently published its report entitled ‘Local Public Banking in Ireland’ and on foot of this Report, an independent evaluation of local public banking will be carried out alongside a stakeholder forum;

- in line with the terms of the agreement with the IPU, a voluntary redundancy package was advertised by An Post and 159 post masters and post mistresses have elected to avail of this package, as in the majority of cases the business is simply no longer sustainable due to declining footfall;

- while the voluntary redundancy package will result in post office closures, An Post has given a commitment that there will be a post office in every community of over 500 people and within 15 km of 95% of the rural population and 3 km of the urban population;

- a protocol specifically sought by the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment ensures that any closures are on a voluntary basis, and where a closure is due to occur An Post will make an assessment on the future provision of services within the locality by reference to specific criteria;

- individuals, groups or representatives can apply to have decisions reviewed through a new independent review process which will determine if An Post has correctly applied the criteria outlined in the protocol, and any retailer in the locations earmarked for closure can apply to An Post to be considered to take over some or all of the services of that post office and may appeal an unfavourable decision; and

- by facilitating those that wish to exit the business, neighbouring offices will be further supported thereby ensuring a sustainable network for the future;

calls on the Government to:

- ensure Government services continue to provide the backbone of a sustainable nationwide post office network;

- support An Post in the rollout of new services and the delivery of its strategic plan to ensure the financial viability of An Post and the continued fulfilment of its mandate to deliver a mail delivery service and a viable post office network; and

- ensure that An Post engages fairly with the 159 communities where postmasters are retiring to ensure post office services are appropriate to the local area and take into account the potential for co-location.”