Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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38. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views on the recent call from the Irish Postmasters' Union for the withdrawal of revised Department of Social Protection forms which may encourage payment of social protection payments through banks rather than post offices; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24804/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I want to emphasise that the forms provided by the department, to enable customers apply for social welfare entitlements, are continuously reviewed to ensure that they are amenable and relevant to all customers. In this context the department considers that its forms should reflect the choices being made by new customers on what payment channel they opt for. The fact is that more and more of the department’s customers are opting for payment of their social welfare entitlement directly into their bank accounts. However, in order to ensure that the department’s forms present payment options equally I have asked the department to update them to ensure that a neutral wording in relation to payment options is provided and to also to ensure that one payment option is not favoured over another.

This Government has consistently stated its commitment to maintaining the post office network as is clear in the Programme for Government. It is a key piece of the social infrastructure for both urban and rural areas. It is this Government’s policy that An Post will remain a strong and viable company in a position to provide a high quality postal service that will maintain a nationwide customer-focused network of post offices in the community.

The Post Office Network Business Development Group, chaired by Bobby Kerr, has decided that the future of the Post Office will be best secured through the development of a more sustainable business model including the development of financial services, which is identified by the Group as fundamental to the future of the post office network. The development by An Post of a payment account will be critical to a more sustainable business model as society inexorably moves to electronic payments rather than cash payments. The post office network cannot remain reliant an income stream from my department for cash payment to its clients where an increasing number of social welfare recipients wish to receive payments to their bank accounts.