Minister for Communications
Pat Rabbitte
repeated that the Government had no plans to close post offices.
He said he appreciated the immensely valuable role the post office network played at village and community level. “The role of the postman or postwoman is far wider that just delivering the post.’’
Mr Rabbitte said the mandate given to An Post was that it was a commercial State company which brought with it certain realities at a time of e-substitution and when it had lost 30 per cent of its core mail business in the past five years. "These realities must be taken into account.''
Strategy
The Minister was replying to Fianna Fáil spokesman Michael Moynihan, who asked about the department's strategy to sustain the post office network.
Mr Rabbitte said he had a useful and wide-ranging discussion with the Irish Postmasters Union in March regarding their concerns about the future. He had written to his Government colleagues, including the Department of Social Protection, to encourage them to consider what assistance their departments might be able to give for the stimulation of new business for the network.
Business
He was committed, he said, to taking the issue of the provision of additional public sector business to the Cabinet committee on social policy. The committee had agreed to his proposal "for a whole-of-government review'' of the scope for putting additional public services in the post offices.
This would be undertaken over the coming months with the aim of a final report, based on the responses made by departments, to be presented to the Cabinet committee in September, he added.
Mr Rabbitte said he saw a strong future for the network by using its existing strengths to remain a significant player in the provision of Government, financial and other services.
