Ned O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 252: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if measures will be put in place to computerise rural post offices. [29967/04]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is committed to a viable and sustainable rural post office network providing a range of services to meet consumer needs. This commitment is illustrated by the Government injection of €12.7 million into the network in 2003 to facilitate modernisation measures. The Government has also strongly supported An Post initiatives such as the channelling of new utility and banking services through the network. In addition, An Post has introduced new service delivery models to improve access to post office services. There are 1,000 automated post offices, 475 non-automated post offices, 160 postal agencies and An Post has established 3,000 Post Point outlets in retail premises of which 600 can be used for bill payment.

The automated network accounts for over 95% of An Post's counter business. Up to 1,000 automated offices transact 95% of counter business while 475 non-automated offices undertake 5% of business. This illustrates the level of business transacted by individual non-automated offices. The current level of automated coverage is considered by An Post to be extremely comprehensive by any objective standard and this level of coverage makes it difficult to justify on either customer-service or economic grounds the extension of automation to all offices, regardless of their location or business volumes.

Automation of the post office network was completed in 1997. It is, therefore, only in exceptional circumstances, such as an existing automated office closing and its equipment being transferred to a suitable neighbouring location which transacts significant volumes of welfare business, that offices are automated today. The core objective continues to be the retention of access to post office services in as many locations as possible, in the manner which best meets consumer needs, whether services are provided via post office, postal agencies or the Post Point network.