asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs whether he has received representations as to the inadequacy of the postal services in the Barratitoppy district of Scotstown, County Monaghan; and when he proposes to provide daily deliveries in this area.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Monaghan Postal Facilities.
I have received representations for a more frequent delivery of correspondence in the district of Barratitoppy, Scotstown, County Monaghan. The matter is under consideration in conjunction with general proposals for increasing the frequency of postal delivery, where justifiable, in rural areas. I am unable at present to say what, if any, increase in frequency of delivery it may be found possible to afford at Barratitoppy, but as the postal service in that area is already operated at a loss of 70 per cent. on the revenue it may be taken that it will not be practicable to afford a delivery on every day of the week. There are approximately 4,400 rural posts. About 500 of these have less than a daily delivery. The great majority of the posts with less than a daily delivery have a thrice-weekly delivery—less than 30 posts have a frequency of two days a week or less. We are about to spend an extra £20,000 on increasing the frequencies of deliveries.
Is the Minister aware that last May he said that this matter was under consideration and would be determined at the earliest possible date? Has he not considered that the more remote and inaccessible a rural district happens to be the more urgent it is that the amenity of a daily post should be provided in order to mitigate the remoteness imposed by geographical circumstances?
The reorganisation of our scheme by which we will be spending more money on it means that a very considerable time will be taken before we have it all arranged. At the same time, we must consider the amount of expense involved in each of these posts that we increase.
Will not the Minister agree that, inasmuch as this is not primarily a revenue service but an amenity service to make the people's lives reasonably comfortable, the very fact that a district is remote and uneconomic from the point of view of the postal service, is itself rather an argument for increasing the frequency rather than diminishing it? The people living in the centre of a town are not so dependent on the post as the people living in a remote district. The arrival of the post is a matter of very great importance to them.