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Post Office Network

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 April 2022

Thursday, 7 April 2022

Questions (95)

Marian Harkin

Question:

95. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the specific concrete measures that will be taken by the Government and An Post to ensure the viability of the post office network, particularly given the new contract for postmasters which is due to start in January 2023. [18219/22]

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Oral answers (6 contributions)

What specific concrete measures are being taken or will be taken by the Government and by An Post to ensure the viability of the post office network? The context in which I ask that question, as the Minister is well aware, is that recently there was a meeting of the Irish Postmasters Union, IPU, at which there was overwhelming support for industrial action. They are balloting their members and they expect a result by the end of April. Therefore, this is a crisis situation. That is the context of my question.

The Government is committed to a sustainable An Post and post office network as a key component of the economic and social infrastructure throughout Ireland. An Post is a commercial State body with a mandate to act commercially and a statutory responsibility for the State’s postal service and the post office network. In addition, Irish post offices are typically independent businesses that are run by postmasters.

I have met the new chairperson of An Post and the chief executive and they fully understand the Government position. They assured me that a sustainable, viable and customer-focused post office network is a key strategic priority for the company. The company has assured me there are no plans for a consolidation outside of the terms of the transformation programme that was agreed with the Irish Postmasters Union in 2018 and that there will be no compulsory closures of post offices.

The transformation programme was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. I worked with An Post and introduced the pandemic recovery fund in 2021, which was worth €8.5 million over an 18-month period. This commenced on 1 July 2021 and will continue until the end of this year. I fully recognise the importance of the high value and high quality post office network to our citizens right across the country, as well as the central and trusted role of postmasters in our communities. An Post, including through the post office network provides important services to its customers and it is contracted to provide key Government services to citizens.

The work on an interdepartmental group, which was established to consider the feasibility of the new Government services, is being considered at present and I am committed to the sustainable network. While decisions relating to the network are matters for the board and the management of the company, they continue to engage with the IPU on operational matters. The Government is committed to ensuring that An Post continues to play a vital role.

I have requested officials in my Department to engage with the company, with other Departments and with key stakeholders to explore all options, in line with this commitment.

I heard what the Minister of State said. She said that the Government is committed to a sustainable post office network. The next thing she said was that she met representatives of An Post and that they fully understand the Government's position. The Minister of State probably has clarified it a bit there but why has she not met the Irish postmasters? The sentence the Minister of State just uttered struck fear into my heart when she said that there will be no compulsory closures. We know that but if postmasters cannot make a living, there will be nobody to run the post offices. While there will be no person from An Post and no Minister coming down to close the post offices, if they are not viable or do not have enough services or if postmasters are not earning a decent living, they will close.

The Minister of State’s interdepartmental group was supposed to report last July. We have heard nothing, so there is no progress. That is why they are looking at industrial action. This is last gasp stuff.

I have met the Irish Postmasters Union on several occasions. I spoke at the IPU annual conference last October. My Department engages in weekly meetings on the viability of the post office network throughout the country. The Deputy can be assured that it is a high priority for me, as Minister of State with responsibility in this area, to ensure that we have a viable and sustainable post office network. As I said, weekly meetings take place and nothing is being ruled in or out in relation to consideration around this. That includes financial supports.

I am acutely aware of the valuable importance of the post office network. We have seen it in action right throughout the pandemic. We saw the huge support and service that it provided within communities up and down the country. It is critical and is a priority for me. The Deputy can be assured that everything has been done within my Department, while working with other Departments, around supporting the network.

I do not doubt that the Minister of State wants to see a sustainable post office network. My issue is not with her personally. It is with how this is being done, or, how it is not being done. We have a situation where next year, postmasters will be basically relying on payment for transactions. Has the Government looked at a public service obligation, PSO, levy?

Why has the interdepartmental group, which was supposed to report last July, still not reported? It is now nine months after it was supposed to report. What is happening? What progress is being made? Postmasters are at the end of their tether. I have met them from all over my constituency, in counties Leitrim, Roscommon, Sligo and Donegal. These are ordinary people who are going to work every day and who want to provide a service. The Minister of State told us what a brilliant service it was during Covid-19. Yet, these people are genuinely concerned that this time next year, some of them will not be there. We will have councillors and Deputies, including myself, asking that a post office will not be closed but if we do not have postmasters to run them and if they cannot make a living, we will have no Post Offices.

I thank the Deputy. As for the interdepartmental group, that report is under active consideration within the Department. I also am acutely aware that there are a number of issues that we need to consider as a Government. As I said, my Department is doing that on a weekly basis around the future sustainable viability of the network. The questions the Deputy is asking are exactly what is under consideration within my Department, both with officials in my Department and with others.

The Deputy can be assured of this, as I have said to the IPU previously, as well as in my engagements with the CEO of An Post and with the chairperson of the board with the responsibility to ensure that we have a sustainable post office network right throughout the country. The Deputy can be assured that that work is ongoing. I am aware of the issues she has raised on the transformation payments that will end at the end of this year. Some €8.5 million was secured through my work working with An Post last year. I am therefore acutely aware of the issues. The Deputy can be assured that work is ongoing and that I am aware of the issues around ensuring that we have a viable network.

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