Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley has called on the Post Office network to be modernised rather than shut down.
Proposing a Sinn Fein motion in the Dail this week on retaining the Post Office network he said: “Previous Governments viewed the post office network as a burden.
“From 2000 to 2010, under a previous Government, 732 post offices closed their doors. There have been Garda station closures and 542,000 households are still waiting for high-speed broadband.
“This is the situation in rural Ireland. Post office masters and mistresses are entitled to retire, but this does not mean the post office has to retire or cease operation.
“We need a long-term vision and interest in the service from the Government when it comes to rural Ireland. Some 390 post office masters and mistresses were offered exit packages recently and not offered new contracts.
“Of those, 159 post masters and mistresses are retiring, and have the right to do so. The remaining 231 were not offered new contracts due to falling incomes.
“We need to address the criteria used by An Post to define a settlement, which are that there must be 500 or more people.
“Many of these villages have up to 600 or 700 people living on the outskirts. It does not take into account the true population in the rural area.
“We have a dispersed population and clusters of houses on the outskirts of villages and small towns. The true population is not reflected. Much has been made of there being one within 15 km and nobody having to travel more than 15 km to the nearest Post Office.
“For someone on a pension of €220 a week, that could mean the first €30 or €35 could be gone on a taxi fare to get to the nearest post office to collect the pension.
“Co-location is another important issue. It is something I have supported from the outset. Sinn Féin believes co-location is a real option, but it is not being considered or sufficiently promoted.
“The Government and An Post need to support co-location. There are many places where a post office could easily be combined with a local shop or other business, thus giving an additional income and providing for the continuation of postal services, as well as new services. We need additional services, including Government services such as motor tax renewal.
“Having a State service in the community will benefit and contribute to communities.
“Given that banks have withdrawn from rural Ireland, we must consider the introduction of community banking. There was a commitment in that regard in the programme for Government, specifically for the German Sparkassen model.
“In Germany there are 390 individual local authority owned banks. Another option is the New Zealand Kiwibank model which now has a 20% share of the banking market and 25% of all bank customers in that country.
“The post office is the last remaining service in many areas. Communities need services in order to stay alive. In addition to a postal network, communities also need broadband and rural transport services, which many areas do not have.
“Rural areas will become barren places if post office services are taken from communities. I ask the Government to recognise that in many cases the post office is the last man standing. We must retain services in rural areas by channelling them through the local post office, thus keeping local villages alive and maintaining vital services in rural areas.
“This matter requires a hands-on approach. The Minister is not a bystander in this but is representing the public in this regard. He is the sole shareholder and he needs to get a grip on this to stop these closures.”
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