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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 10 Nov 2015

Vol. 895 No. 3

Priority Questions

Renewable Energy Generation Targets

Michael Moynihan

Question:

67. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the reason for the delay in publishing the White Paper on energy; if there will be a policy shift toward maximising all renewables to meet our Europe 2020 renewable targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39035/15]

Could the Minister explain the delay in publishing the White Paper on energy? Will there be a policy shift towards maximising all renewables to meet our Europe 2020 renewables target, and will he make a statement on the matter?

The overarching objective of the Government's energy policy is to ensure secure and sustainable supplies of competitively priced energy to all consumers. A new energy White Paper, which my Department is currently in the process of finalising, will set out Ireland’s energy policy up to 2030, framed in the context of broader EU energy policy as articulated in both the energy union strategy and the EU's Framework 2030 for coherent climate and energy policies. The overall objective of the energy White Paper is to provide a coherent, joined-up policy statement aimed at ensuring that Ireland has an energy system that will support the transition to a low-carbon society and economy by 2050. While a range of measures will be needed to support this transition, including the increased use of renewable energy, we have already made significant progress, with an estimated 22.7% of electricity generated from renewable sources in 2014. The Government remains committed to implementing measures to achieve Ireland's 2020 renewable energy targets.

The White Paper process started with a Green Paper on energy policy in Ireland, published in May 2014. An extensive consultation process was undertaken on this Green Paper, including a ten-week written consultation process, resulting in 1,240 submissions, and 11 focused seminars nationwide. This provided significant opportunity for the public, business and industry to have an input into the policy development process.

This consultation was augmented by discussions between my Department and other Departments aimed at ensuring a whole-of-Government approach to the development of the energy White Paper. I intend to bring the energy White Paper to Government for approval before the end of the year.

As regards the energy White Paper and all the possible renewables, how far down the line are solar panels and how integrated is solar panel farming? There is currently only one such unit on the island of Ireland, which is in County Down, although there is planning permission for a number of others throughout the country. How integrated is that process?

Last week, I asked about the status of guidelines on wind energy from the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. The former Department was committed to having those new guidelines in place in the summer of 2014, but it is now winter 2015 and there is no trace of them. Has the energy White Paper taken community consensus into account?

How satisfied is the Minister with the information coming from various stakeholders, given that EirGrid got it so badly wrong in terms of pylons and the Grid West and Grid Link projects? Last week at the committee meeting they completely backtracked after putting the fear of God into communities the length and breadth of the country. I would like to hear the Minister's comments on those three issues.

I certainly envisage that solar energy will be an important element of our renewables portfolio into the future. In addition to the White Paper, which is the high-level policy document, we are also in a consultation process in respect of a new REFIT regime and looking at appropriate subsidies for technologies such as solar panels so that we can have a mix. Onshore wind energy generation has proved to be very cost-effective, but it is not the whole story concerning renewables. We have to look carefully, clearly and responsibly at all new technologies, some of which are emerging while others are more advanced. Solar is one, absolutely, and it will feature in our future renewable energy policy. In addition, we have taken a lot of interest in research on offshore wind energy and what we can do in the biomass sector also.

The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Kelly, dealt with the issue of guidelines during Question Time last week. There needs to be community consensus and that will be a chapter in the White Paper, which we are close to finalising and bringing to Government.

Perhaps the Minister can update me on the opinion of his ministerial colleague, Deputy Alan Kelly, and when those new planning guidelines will be in place. Should there not be a moratorium until the new planning guidelines take effect?

I understand wave energy technology has developed considerably. What aspects of the White Paper will refer to wave energy? Has the Department or have the various stakeholders looked into the issue of biomass at Moneypoint or the future of Moneypoint as a power generation station? This is in the light of what happened in the United Kingdom where the Drax power station was converted and is now completely biomass fuelled.

I ask the Minister to update me on those matters, especially the planning guidelines. Where are they at and what is the position on biomass? How far advanced is our wave energy in view of the fact that we are nearly at saturation point in terms of wind energy generation at the moment?

I respectfully refer the Deputy to the response of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Kelly, some days ago in the House in respect of the guidelines.

The Deputy referred to renewable energy. The options include solar, biomass and offshore wind. A range of technologies are coming down the tracks. Some are at a higher level of development than others but they will all feature. There will be a good discussion and treatment of these issues in the White Paper.

We have to transition to a low-carbon economy and we need to do so by 2050. That is the ambition we have set ourselves. The Deputy may recall that recently the G7 held out the aspiration to have a carbon-free world by the end of this century. I believe this is a correct aspiration and an appropriate one. That is the measure of the ambition that all of us need to look to for our children and grandchildren. We need to decarbonise. The energy policy I am responsible for will align with that ambitious target. The first targets, though, are those we must comply with by 2020. We have made good progress, particularly on the electricity side, but we need to make more progress on heat and transport.

The White Paper will have high level treatment of the plans for 2030 out to 2050.

What about wave energy?

Hydraulic Fracturing Policy

Michael Colreavy

Question:

68. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will suspend the research project by the Environmental Protection Agency into hydraulic fracturing due to concerns regarding the independence and integrity of the project. [39146/15]

Will the Minister of State suspend the research project by the Environmental Protection Agency into hydraulic fracturing due to the concerns regarding the independence and integrity of the project? The Minister of State's response may include a rehash of how the EPA research started and the fact that no licences will issue until the report comes in. If so, will the Minister skip that part and get to the substance of the answer?

I will answer the question. I assume the focus of the Deputy's question is recent public comment relating to the role of the lead consultant in the multi-agency transboundary programme of research and the potential impacts on the environment and human health from unconventional gas exploration and extraction projects. This research programme is administered by the EPA and co-funded by the EPA, my Department and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, with oversight from a broad-based steering committee that includes representatives from my Department.

As is usual in major and broad-ranging projects, the project team involves a wide range of expert institutions and companies. CDM Smith is the lead consultant in the consortium engaged to carry out the programme of research. The consortium includes the British Geological Survey, University College Dublin, Ulster University, Amec Foster Wheeler and Philip Lee Solicitors, each offering a particular specialism required by the project scope. I understand that the contract for this programme of research was awarded following a robust evaluation process in compliance with public procurement guidelines and that the tender submitted by the consortium headed by CDM Smith was evaluated as being the strongest bid.

I am aware that there has been some comment on the fact that internationally CDM Smith has provided expert advice to oil companies involved in the development of unconventional gas resources. However, CDM Smith has also provided advice to State bodies and regulatory agencies across its area of expertise.

As I am sure the Deputy will appreciate, it is common that a broad range of parties will seek to draw on the specialist expertise available from a firm such as CDM Smith. The fact that disparate entities seek to draw on such expertise is generally seen as an indicator of a company's recognised experience.

I do not know about the Minister of State, but when I see a company like CDM Smith leading and co-ordinating this project as well as having an influential role in deciding who will do the various phases of the work, like any reasonable person, I am entitled to question the independence and integrity of the report.

I have no doubt it will cause irreparable damage to the reputation of the EPA.

I also understand that at least one of the universities named as being associated with this report was associated with only part of it and distanced itself from the overall work. There is no doubt that there will be serious questions about integrity and independence. The problem is that the next phase of the work involves people going onto land in north Leitrim, west Cavan and south-west Fermanagh. Undoubtedly, landowners will lock gates and not allow people onto their land because of the questions over independence. The sensible and the right thing to do would be to suspend the process, at least until after the EPA appears before an Oireachtas committee on 2 December.

There are legitimate concerns, which are shared by the Minister, Deputy White, and me. The former Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, also shared those concerns in 2011 when he made the decision to begin the process. The EPA is independent and I have tremendous confidence in it to do a job like this. There was a procurement process and CDM Smith won the tender. We can use all sorts of terms such as "leading", "co-ordinating", "heading up a team" or whatever.

I have confidence not alone in the EPA but in the steering group. I have tremendous confidence in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, the Geological Survey of Ireland, the Commission for Energy Regulation, the Health Service Executive, An Bord Pleanála, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland. A collaborative effort is taking place to get the research right and to ensure we are informed and that any future decisions will be informed ones. That is the important thing.

No reputational damage has been done to the EPA. It has been very consistent and focused in ensuring the two pillars of the research, namely, environment and human health, are addressed. A public consultation process took place.

The Deputy referred to Queen's University Belfast. For the purposes of the public record, it was confirmed that the university was initially participating as part of the research consortium. Due to a change in the resources available in the university, the tasks allocated to it were transferred to CDM Smith, supported by GSNI. The university is still involved, and it is important to point that out, as part of the internal review process carried out by the consortium.

I thank the Minister of State. He made a good attempt to try to convince me of the independence and integrity of the project. His attempt failed and will fail with most reasonable people listening to the debate.

There is a wider context. I have spoken to many Deputies and Ministers in the House. All of them told me fracking will never be allowed to happen on this small island. It is time there was political accountability and that political responsibility was taken. It is time we acknowledge that the initial mistake was to issue an invitation to submit expressions of interest. It is now time to say we will not allow fracking in this country.

It is time we stopped funding the EPA to gather information that energy companies will be able to use in a future legal action against this country, in particular when the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and investor-state dispute settlement are introduced. Make no mistake about it, what we are doing is paying burglars and giving them the plans of our houses in order that they can come back and burgle us. The train is rolling. Who is in charge?

There is cross-party concern. The Deputy's constituency colleagues, Deputy Tony McLoughlin and Senator Michael Comiskey, have reflected local concerns. We have to give responsibility to the EPA. No organisation is better equipped to examine the environmental impact of the process.

I have confidence in the stakeholders I have listed - I will not list them again - to ensure this is a collaborative approach that they conduct the proper research and that they are given sufficient resources to do so. Too often the public says politicians make decisions without investigation or research and without ensuring they know what they are making a decision on. Politicians will be making a decision based on informed investigation. That is why I have confidence in this process. It is important we ensure there is a collaborative effort.

Broadband Service Provision

Tom Fleming

Question:

69. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will prioritise County Kerry in the broadband intervention strategy, as the county has had significant underinvestment by the State and the market in its telecom infrastructure, which is manifestly obvious from the national broadband plan survey data map; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39198/15]

I ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will prioritise County Kerry in the broadband intervention strategy, as the county has had significant underinvestment by the State and the market in its telecommunications infrastructure, which is manifestly obvious from the national broadband plan survey data map, and if he will make a statement on this matter.

The Government’s national broadband plan aims to ensure every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high-quality, high-speed broadband service. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and State-led intervention in areas where commercial services will not be provided.

Last November, I published a national high-speed coverage map for 2016. This map is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. The map shows Ireland with two colours, blue and amber, and was developed based on the most up-to-date information available at the time of publication. The areas marked blue represent those areas where commercial providers are either delivering or have plans to deliver high-speed broadband services by the end of 2016. The areas marked amber represent the target areas for the proposed State intervention. I encourage consumers to consult the websites of the various commercial operators to ascertain details of current and planned future deployment plans.

Thirty-eight responses were received following the publication of the national broadband plan proposed intervention strategy last July. Non-confidential versions of these submissions have been published since last week and can be accessed at www.broadband.gov.ie.

The Department continues to review the technical and financial detail relating to potential new commercial investment proposals with a view to updating the intervention area map. I expect to publish an updated version of the map, finalise the strategy and move to formal procurement phase before the end of the year. The prospective bidder or bidders are experts in network roll-out and each will offer different network architectures and technologies to deliver the network. It is proposed to engage with the winning bidders on the optimum roll-out strategy and on the sequencing of the network deployment to maximise efficiencies during network build, having regard to business and consumer needs and to areas of particularly poor service and areas of strong demand. All these factors will need to be balanced against the most efficient network roll-out and will be agreed during the procurement process. The Government is determined to ensure the network is built as quickly as possible and engagement with industry stakeholders has indicated this could be achieved within three to five years of the contract award.

According to the Department's survey carried out in 2014, which was conducted by the commercial operators in County Kerry, we stand out as having the greatest need for State intervention to supply high-speed broadband to homes and businesses. County Kerry is in the top four of greatest need in terms of requiring State intervention, the lack of commercial coverage and the number of premises needing intervention. More half the homes and businesses in County Kerry have been designated as requiring intervention. We welcome what is happening in some of the larger towns, for example, the recent roll-out of high-quality broadband in Tralee and likewise to Killarney and Listowel.

I thank the Deputy.

Unfortunately, the great majority of County Kerry is in deficit and there is a strong case for prioritising investment in the county due to the level of unemployment and underemployment.

We also have a very low level of disposable income, with declining rural populations. Naturally, we need to see preservation of the Gaeltacht regions in the county.

I will come back to the Deputy for a supplementary question.

The infrastructural deficit must be addressed most of all in order to create and retain employment.

Creating and maintaining employment, as the Deputy has stated, is one of the most important advantages that will accrue from the national broadband plan. I absolutely agree with the Deputy in that regard. I confirm that in Kerry, high-speed broadband services have been rolled out to over 27,500 premises to date, with a further 11,200 premises expected to be served by commercial operators. The remaining 51,200 premises in County Kerry will require coverage either by further commercial investment or they will be a target of the proposed State intervention under the national broadband plan. It is absolutely fair that the Deputy would make the case for County Kerry and there is a real case for whole areas of the county, as well as many areas in rural Ireland across the country, where broadband, or at least high-speed broadband, is unavailable and where the commercial sector is unlikely to invest. That is why the State must intervene and ensure we give people the same opportunities and access in rural Ireland as is available elsewhere. I dealt with the sequencing of how that will happen in my formal reply.

It is very evident that currently there is a two-tier system, with large tracts of expansive countryside in rural communities in County Kerry with practically no broadband or else very poor coverage, to be honest. I have several examples of people in commercial businesses being affected. The Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas, CEDRA, report, published by chairman Pat Spillane, emphasised the expediting of the rolling out of broadband to give some regional balance. Rural decline is accelerating because of the haemorrhaging of the young population, as those people are leaving in droves. Broadband is a major factor in this regard.

I have a message from the owner of a very viable enterprise in County Kerry.

Do you have a question?

The owner states:

Poor broadband connectivity has proved to be one of the biggest deterrents in running a successful business for us in County Kerry. Connectivity is so poor that we have on a number of occasions sent our staff home so they could use their home Internet to research their work projects. To survive and grow, we need to compete not just nationally but in a global market. However, we are forced to compete without the basic tools of Internet connectivity enjoyed by most of our competitors, who are based in urban areas and consequently do not experience the same constraint.

I must ask the Deputy to conclude.

This company has secured contracts with State agencies and it is trying its utmost to keep up that work. It cannot do so in the current climate.

I agree with all the points made by the Deputy. He sets out the disadvantage experienced by areas of the country in the absence of adequate and high-speed broadband, particularly with regard to business and access to public and social services, as well as education and ability to interact culturally. All of these are areas of activity and interaction in a modern society and economy to which people should have a right. He is absolutely right in his comments about Kerry, as there are areas of the county that will be required to be dealt with through the State intervention. Other Deputies in the House and in the wider building could make the same case for their county, which is fair. That is why we are doing this as one big State intervention, which is going to procurement at the end of this year, as I have indicated. It is a State project. People sometimes criticise the State or the Government for not being willing to intervene and make an investment. We have said in a robust way that we will make this investment and solve this problem by intervening where the commercial sector will not.

National Broadband Plan Implementation

Michael Moynihan

Question:

70. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on the timeline to connecting premises in counties under the national broadband plan; the future-proofing of the minimum broadband download speeds to be provided that has been carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39036/15]

Following the previous question, I ask the Minister to comment on the timeline to connect premises in counties under the national broadband plan and what future-proofing of the minimum broadband speeds will be provided. Will he make a statement on the matter?

The Government’s national broadband plan aims to ensure that every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high-quality, high-speed broadband service. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and a State-led intervention in areas where commercial services will not be provided. On 29 September the Government approved an allocation of €275 million for the national broadband plan, NBP, which will provide the initial stimulus required to deliver the Government's intervention. Combined with commercial investment, this will ensure that 85% of Ireland's premises have high-speed broadband by 2018, with 100% coverage by 2020.

Some 40 responses were received following the publication of the NBP proposed intervention strategy in July last. Non-confidential versions of these submissions have been published since last week and can be accessed at www.broadband.gov.ie. Meanwhile, my Department continues to review the technical and financial detail relating to potential new commercial investment proposals, with a view to updating the intervention area map originally published in November 2014. I expect to publish an updated version of this map showing commercial investment proposals out to 2020 as well as finalising the intervention strategy and moving to formal procurement phase before the end of the current year.

As indicated in the published draft intervention strategy, we have set a minimum download speed of 30 Mbps, with an obligation on bidders to demonstrate clearly how they propose to future-proof the network to meet anticipated future bandwidth demand. This is considered the optimal approach, rather than the Department prescribing future speeds which might not reflect future market developments and technology evolution. The Government is determined to ensure that the network is built out as quickly as possible and engagement with industry stakeholders has indicated that this could be achieved within three to five years of the contract award.

In 2011, the Government's programme for Government, one of the greatest books of fiction ever written, promised to make significant investment in next-generation broadband over the following four years for every home and business and to deliver it to 90% of homes. That has clearly failed on both levels. In the replies to various parliamentary questions the Government has said the network build will start in May 2016 and that it will take three to five years to be completely operative. The Government is kicking the can to 2021. According to one of the replies we got recently, parts of Counties Clare, Cavan, Donegal, Mayo, Monaghan, Galway, Kerry, Leitrim, Kilkenny, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo and Tipperary will have to wait until 2021 for high-speed broadband. This is one of the issues I have raised consistently on the floor of the House with the Minister, and even at committee level. He is saying the documentation is before the European Commission and all that. It has to be a priority for Government. In 2015, facing into 2016, broadband is one of the basic requirements for living in any part of the State, whether urban or rural. I know the State has built the population growth on the east coast, but forgetting about the other parts of the country is not acceptable and there should be a crisis Cabinet sub-committee set up to deal with the broadband issue, because nothing is happening.

The Deputy mentioned 2011, which is the year he is interested in. Only 300,000 addresses had high-speed broadband when his party was in office, just before the 2011 election. He can talk about works of fiction all he wants and he can criticise us if he wishes, but the lamentable failure of the Government of which he was a supporter is manifest for all to see. The situation now is that high-speed broadband is available to approximately 1.3 million addresses, and by the end of 2016 it is envisaged that high-speed broadband will be available to 1.6 million addresses. By 2018, we aim to have 85% of the population covered.

There is no need to set up crisis committees, because this work is being expedited by Government, by my Department and by me on a daily basis, ensuring that this critical piece of infrastructure is put in place for the Irish people, and for all of the Irish people, not just those who live in cities and towns where they have access through the commercial sector, but right across the country. It is this Government that will deliver high-speed broadband. It is this Government that will achieve this important piece of infrastructure for the Irish people and it is this Government that will keep to that plan and ensure it happens.

I do not accept that. It is before the European Commission. When will the Commission approve State aid? We have been debating this for the last year and a half across the floor and, before that, with the Minister's predecessor.

Figures for broadband are being trotted out but there are parts of this country that do not have any kind of Internet connection, good, bad or indifferent. The residents are disadvantaged. A disadvantage is being developed in these parts of the country because it is costing young people to live in those communities, and costing people to set up businesses in those communities. There is a crisis that needs to be looked at, and we have debated it across the floor. There is constant movement and no doubt the Department is looking at it, but not aggressively enough, particularly for parts of both rural and urban areas.

There are residents in parts of Ireland, 15 to 20 miles from O'Connell Street, who contact me about their broadband coverage. Right throughout my constituency, across the western seaboard and in parts of nearly every county in the State, people do not have a proper broadband service. At this stage, it is beyond talking about.

We are over time. I call on the Minister to conclude.

It has been beyond talking about for quite a while because, as the Deputy is well aware, we are achieving and moving on this important project. It is exactly the same point he makes each time he comes in here, but he knows perfectly well that all of the timelines that I set and that I indicated in the House when I became Minister in July of last year have been kept. We published the map, but it is not merely a map because it is an assessment of where the commercial sector will deliver and where we will have to go. We stated that we would produce an intervention strategy with all the detail - I hope the Deputy has read it - of what that will incur, including the technical, financial and legal analysis. That all happened on time in the summer.

We also stated that we would have a further period of consultation to ensure that we had those numbers right and that we could go to procurement by the end of this year. To the extent that the Deputy is trying to give the impression that there have been delays, that there has been foot-dragging or that we have missed targets, the point is we have not missed any targets. Everything that he has asked me about in this regard since I became Minister and had the honour of dealing with this issue, through Parliamentary Questions and otherwise, has been kept to and there has been no failure at all.

Post Office Network

Tom Fleming

Question:

71. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will expedite and implement the recommendations in the report of the post office business development group, chaired by Mr. Bobby Kerr; if he will support, in conjunction with this, the maintenance of social protection payments, the provision of new public services, basic banking and the roll-out of new commercial and financial products delivered through the post office network; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39241/15]

I ask the Minister if he will expedite and implement the recommendations in the report of the post office business development group, chaired by Mr. Bobby Kerr, and if he will support, in conjunction with the report, the maintenance of social protection payments, the provision of new public services, basic banking and the roll-out of new commercial and financial products delivered through the post office network. I am sure my colleagues will join me in wishing Bobby Kerr a speedy recovery following his recent illness.

I am sure we all join Deputy Tom Fleming in wishing Mr. Bobby Kerr a speedy recovery. Mr. Kerr has been doing terrific work for us on this agenda.

The post office network business development group, the remit of which is to examine the potential from existing and new Government and commercial business that could be transacted through the post office network, presented its initial report to me in May 2015. In summary, the initial report outlined that the future of the post office network would be best secured by seeking out opportunities in the following areas: financial services, including services delivered by the Department of Social Protection, and basic banking for the unbanked; Government services; social capital and enterprise; and white labelling of financial and other products.

To gain further insight into these areas, a public consultation exercise was held from 16 June to 28 July last, inclusive. Interested parties were invited to submit their views on the initial report. It is clear from the responses received that there is a strong public desire to maintain the nationwide network of post offices. The consultation responses are assisting the group in identifying opportunities that can benefit the post office network and will inform the final report, which I expect to receive presently.

It is premature to speculate, in advance of receiving the final report, on future products and services and on what the next steps will be until I have had the opportunity to consider in detail the findings of the group.

I believe there is a certain amount of procrastination. There is significant delay in the publishing of this report. I cannot see how it is taking such a long time to come up with it. As the Minister stated, the public consultation was completed a long time ago. There are evident vital proposals that could be quite simply implemented.

The Grant Thornton report published by the Irish Postmasters' Union identified motor tax as the number one item that could be made available through our post office network. Another was the extension of banking services. All we have heard during recent months has been negativity - for example, the utterances of the Minister for Social Protection about giving priority to banks by paying social welfare benefits into recipients' bank accounts. It was a drastic action by the Minister. Although we hear that the Government has the will to retain and promote the post offices, nothing we have heard over recent weeks has been very positive.

The Deputy should wait for the report and see how positive it is. I am confident that it will be positive. The Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection and her Department have a positive attitude to post offices. Social welfare payments comprise a critical component of post office business, irrespective of the size of a particular post office, and support a cross-selling model, especially regarding bill payment. Social protection payments are and will remain a critical element of the work done by the post offices. I hope the Deputy is aware that the interim report was published earlier this year. The final report is the one to which the Deputy refers, and it will be published in the coming weeks. Although I must receive the report, consider it and bring it to the Cabinet, there will be no undue delay. The consultation process to which the Deputy referred finished at the end of July. An enormous amount of work is going into the report so that we get it right this time. We know An Post is widely supported by the Irish people and by communities, and we want to ensure that it thrives into the future. That is what the report will be about.

There is much uncertainty in rural areas due to a number of negative factors, such as the closure of our Garda stations and the downgrading of what were vital hubs of rural Ireland. People have no confidence in the Government giving out a strong message of support. There are 1,100 post offices in the network, which are the only retail units in some communities. Given our lack of rural security, postmen and women are like watchdogs, and the local post office is a meeting place for people and a place of communication with the outside world. In many cases, it is the only one.

The Government and I strongly support the maintenance of a post office network across the country. The report, which I will shortly receive and publish, will demonstrate this. The Government's response to the report will demonstrate its commitment to the maintenance of a post office network service right across the country which is viable, remains at the heart of communities and supplies services that people want to avail of. This is the job we need to do, which I am doing, as the House would expect. Once we receive the report and the Government has dealt with it, we will have an opportunity to debate it here.

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