Before Deputy Martin Kenny speaks I want to say that the Deputies on my list, who I took as they indicated, are Deputies Nolan, Burke, Durkan, Collins, Rabbitte, Fitzpatrick, O'Loughlin, Cassells and Burton. Unfortunately I cannot take them. We may have to review this but I have no control over it.

On page 48 of the programme for Government there is a section on protecting local services which specifically deals with post offices. Earlier this week the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Naughten, went to Ballymahon and announced a whole lot of things to help rural Ireland. Yesterday, I discovered that the post office in my area, Aughavas in County Leitrim, is going to be closed because the pub and business there has been sold and An Post is saying that it may not renew the contract to have a post office in that area. If the Government is making such efforts to invest in rural Ireland, one of the first things it should be doing is to ensure the services that exist in rural Ireland are not withdrawn. That is the basic principle of it. This post office has been in the community for more than 150 years and to think that at the drop of a hat it can just go. We have a similar situation in Ballygawley. Yesterday, I brought up the issue of the regional veterinary services being withdrawn and centralised to Dublin-----

The Deputy's time is up.

We have serious problems in rural Ireland. The Government is talking about investing money in it while at the same time it is withdrawing these services.

Minister-----

It is outrageous. I want the Minister to indicate what he will do and do not tell me that An Post-----

Deputy Kenny.

-----is a separate entity. It is in the programme for Government. It is the responsibility-----

Deputy Kenny, allow a response, please.

-----of this Government to ensure services are maintained in rural Ireland.

The Deputy will recognise that for the first time in my memory, and I am in the House a long time, we have a coherent strategy for rural areas. It covers employment, service levels, tourism, homes and primary care. For the first time there is a genuine strategy seeking to support the delivery of local services.

Will the Government maintain what is there?

The Deputy raised the issue yesterday of veterinary services and the Minister provided a very categorical assurance that the approach he was taking was not assuming this service was going to be centralised to Dublin. The situation of An Post is, as the Deputy has recognised in his own question, that An Post has a responsibility in the operation of its own services.

So you are going with the Government.

Deputy, please.

As the Deputy knows, however, there has been considerable work done by Government and under Mr. Bobby Kerr on the proposal to develop initiatives that would see a long-term and strong future for our postal services. It is by implementing a strategy such as this that we deliver a future for local services.

The Government is withdrawing the services.

We must take a strategic view of these issues.