Fine Gael TD for Limerick Patrick O’Donovan has said that the statement of the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte to the Dáil last week in relation to the future of the post office network provides a route for the future development of the network. Patrick O’Donovan, who is a member of the Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, last week met with representatives of the Irish Postmasters Union who made a presentation to the Committee on the future of the network, outlining the concerns of their members in the process.
During the course of the committee’s work, members were told that during the period of the last Government between 2006 and 2010, almost 200 post offices closed in Ireland while 17 had closed in the three years since this Government had come to office. The committee also discussed the fact that the Government had renewed the Department of Social Protection contracts to An Post for two years, a deal which will be worth almost €100million to the network.
As the only Limerick TD present, Patrick O’Donovan focused his contribution on the need for post offices to be allowed to provide greater level of banking services. He said that the network provided an important security feature for the State on the basis of reducing the possibility of social welfare fraud, and while there was a move towards Electronic Fund Transfer, or payment directly into the bank, he saw potential for greater relationships between Revenue, Social Welfare, Local Authorities and other agencies if the post office network was properly developed. It is expected that An Post management will attend the committee meeting in the coming weeks.
In the meantime Patrick O’Donovan has said that the commitment of Pat Rabbitte to examine all areas of government to see what additional services can be provided at the counters of post offices was very welcome, something which was not done by the last Government at a time of almost 200 closures. He welcomed the restatement of the Department’s pledge contained in the Programme for Government and he was particularly pleased with the Minister’s understanding of the need to maintain the rural network of post offices in particular.
Speaking the in Dáil Committee on Communications this week, Patrick O’Donovan suggested that the Committee, which recently published a report on the future of post offices, would engage with other Government Ministers and Departments as part of their work. Replying to his suggestion, Chairman of the Committee John O’Mahony TD, said that this was a positive suggestion. Patrick O’Donovan welcomed the fact that deputies and senators from all parties, who had decided to attend the hearings, had done so in a constructive manner and had not politicised the issue. It is expected that the matter will be the focus of the Oireachtas Committee on Communications for some time.