Minister for Rural Affairs Michael Ring has signalled that a number of post offices will have to close. He told the Dáil some post offices “have a very bright future and some of them have very serious difficulties”.
In his first Dáil question time as Minister for Rural and Community Affairs, Mr Ring said: “I saw some of the transactions that were taking place in some of these post offices. I will be honest. Some of these post offices are not going to survive.”
Fianna Fáil rural affairs spokesman Éamon Ó Cuív had earlier said that “anybody who tells me that it would have been viable to keep every post office that was there for 20 years open, is talking tommyrot”.
He asked when the Minister was going to make a decision because there were “a fair number of people” in post offices “who are hanging on and wondering what the Minister is going to do”.
“Let’s be straight about it. Some of these would like to get a package because they know there’s not a living in it.”
He added that “for many people fibre broadband outscores the post office network”.
Mr Ring agreed that some post offices would have to close, but “we have to make sure that we strengthen the ones that survive, and get them whatever they need to assist and help them”.
He stressed, however, that he could not interfere with the process of An Post, which is a semi-State company.
Motor tax services
Labour finance spokeswoman Joan Burton had pointed to the Kerr report on the future of the sector which found that half of the post offices were not commercially viable and that meant that up to 500 could close.
She asked who would have responsibility for post offices, and asked about epayment accounts and the provision of motor tax services in the post office.
Mr Ring said that overall responsibility for post offices would remain with Minister for Communications Denis Naughten, but his department would pay the €100,000 cost of the Kerr report.
He said a pilot project in four post offices would be expanded to 150 if successful, and included services such as peace commissioner functions, collection of motor taxes, ICT training and expert advice services.
