Nessa Cosgrove (Labour)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I am delighted to be having this conversation and see there is such enthusiasm for this debate. All of us speak so warmly and fondly of the postal services because the post office network has traditionally played a special and significant role in all of Irish life, from before and after the foundation of our State. The local post office holds a special place, which we can see here, in people's affections. The services that are provided - we have all said this - go way beyond the realm of posting letters and parcels. This network allows people who might otherwise be excluded from participation in an increasingly digital and impersonal economy to fully participate as citizens in their local communities. It allows people who do not have bank accounts to do their financial transactions and pay the utility bills but also the payment of certain essential bills which keep the State running, including property taxes and TV licences. It also allows those who cannot engage with banking and bills online to pay in person. We have heard here tonight that postmasters often help people, older people, in particular, with their financial transactions. We see passport applications, the payment of fines and the list goes on and on.

We all know - this was spoken about earlier - that Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank and AIB have closed branches all over the country, which leaves an awful lot of villages and towns without a financial institution. When we are talking about the role of the post office, the most significant of all is its role in circulating €7 billion in actual cash into communities every year. This is money that is paid out in welfare benefits to people who are living on low incomes such as pensioners, people with disabilities and those who are unable to work. Some of the most vulnerable members of our society find their economic lifeline in post offices. I have pointed out on many occasions in this House that the particular impact those on low incomes have, both on the local and national economy, is disproportionate. Money that is received locally by people who have a lower income is spent locally. These support local, sustainable business, microenterprises and social enterprises in local communities.

Moving beyond the realm of the financial role of post offices, we must look at the social role and the social life it gives many people, which has come up here many times tonight. In many rural towns and villages, a trip to the post office to a receive a hard-earned pension and to pay the bills is often followed by a trip to the local shop. Each of these interactions helps keep people physically and mentally healthy. Each of these interactions has an impact in keeping older people in their own homes for longer. A report produced by Grant Thornton for the Irish Postmasters' Union, which we have all spoken about, estimates the social and economic value of the post office network to be €344 million to €777 million per year and asserts that can be maintained at a cost of just €15 million per year. I am delighted there is such enthusiasm from the Government but, unfortunately, the evidence shows that, in the past ten years, 31 post offices have closed in the north west - the Minister of State will know this as it is in his own area - four in Leitrim, eight in Sligo and a staggering 19 in Donegal. Many rural villages and communities are now left without a post office, which leaves a gaping hole in those villages for older people. For many people, their lifeline for social interaction is gone. If we fail to provide this relatively small amount of funding that will help sustain the independent, individual enterprises which make up the network, we risk seeing what the Grant Thornton report called rapid, unrestrained closures which will cause irreparable financial, economic and social harm. However, I am heartened to see the Government recognises the value of the post office network and has committed to funding this vital economic and social network to 2030.The Irish Postmasters' Union, which I was delighted to meet, has evolved and responded in this ever-changing world and its needs must be responded to, if not with enthusiasm, then with compassion. Its efforts need to celebrated, but it also needs to be supported and we need to listen to exactly what its needs are. I hope the Government will fulfil its promise and commit to a minimum of €15 million.