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Post Office Network

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 December 2018

Thursday, 13 December 2018

Ceisteanna (181)

Michael Healy-Rae

Ceist:

181. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the Rural Independent Group motion passed in Dáil Éireann in November 2016 on the post office network will be enacted. [52522/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

An Post is a commercial State body with a mandate to deliver a postal delivery service and a viable post office network. The motion referred to by the Deputy recognised the commitment to protect the post office network in the Programme for a Partnership Government and called on the Government to undertake a number of actions to act on this commitment. The Programme for Government envisaged that An Post, the Irish League of Credit Unions and other interested stakeholders would be asked to investigate and propose a new model of community banking, such as the Kiwibank model in New Zealand. The Programme for Government also includes a commitment to investigate the German Sparkassen model for the development of local public banks.

A project team comprising officials from the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Department of Finance was established to progress this commitment.  The final report was published by the Minister for Finance and Minister for Rural and Community Development on 4 July 2018. The final report indicates that the Department of Finance will continue to engage in dialogue with Irish Rural Link and other stakeholders and that it will commission an independent external evaluation of ways in which the local public banking concept could possibly be promoted in Ireland. The Department of Rural and Community Development will continue to focus on rural and regional development generally and will provide a coordinating role across Government in relation to this priority area.

As a result of the actions taken by Government, An Post has been able to construct and begin implementing a strategic plan for a sustainable future. Government remains fully committed to a sustainable post office network which is a key piece of economic and social infrastructure for both rural and urban areas. Reflecting its commitment to sustaining a nationwide post office network and daily mails service, the Government made €30m available in State funding to An Post to support the renewal of the post office network and the continued fulfilment of a 5 day per week mails delivery service.

There is widespread acceptance that the post office network requires modernisation to build, maintain and protect a service that meets the needs of communities across the country. Investment by An Post of €50 million in the network is about getting communities to use the enhanced services in their local post office. 

An Post is already in the process of diversifying and growing the financial services products it provides for individuals and SMEs to include loans, credit cards and more foreign exchange products; local banking in association with the major banks and a full range of State Savings products.  In addition, a partnership with Avantcard announced in September will see personal loan services available in every post office across the country.

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