In the programme for Government negotiations over two years ago, much of the discussion centred around rural Ireland and the losses of services that left a trail of devastation in rural towns and villages throughout Ireland, in particular, in west Cork. Immediately after votes here in the Dáil today, I will return to Ballydehob in west Cork for a public meeting to save the local post office, run efficiently by Ms Bridie Roycroft. This woman is one of many postmasters and mistresses who received letters recently telling them of losses in their future income and offering them a chance to engage in a get-out redundancy. Bridie has come out to the public fighting and is a model for other postmasters and mistresses throughout this country as she has decided to ask her community does it want a post office. From what I have heard, she has got, and will tonight get, overwhelming support in Ballydehob as people plead with Bridie to keep the service open to the community. Ever since she started the public battle, many have cancelled getting payments through direct debit and are now going back to Ballydehob post office for their payments as they knew it was a case of use it or lose it.

Tonight's public meeting will again demonstrate to all how this village needs its post office, and the meeting will be replicated throughout the country in the coming weeks. What do I say to the people of Ballydehob and beyond tonight who will attend? Do I tell them the truth, that Fine Gael Governments, both this and the previous one, have failed as of yet to put new life into the post offices? Over two years ago, the Government promised rural proofing and there was no delivery, as there is now a 15 km limit placed between post offices in rural communities. Two years ago, they promised to look into community banking for post offices - no delivery. Two years ago, they promised to look into the facilitation of motor tax payments through post offices - no delivery. Two years ago, in the programme for Government, they promised that post offices would be a one-stop shop for Government services - no delivery. Many more promises were made but as of yet there has been no delivery on the ground. While Government TDs may lament throughout the country about post office closures in their communities, it is all crocodile tears as they have failed to date to sit down as a Government collectively and honestly looking at saving rural post offices.

Redundancy packages are not a way of solving problems. Communities must come out and save their own post offices but if the Government - this being almost the same Government since 2011 - fails to energise post offices by channelling new services through the door, it has failed these post offices and rural Ireland.

Ballydehob, like other rural towns, cannot afford to lose its post office. The Mizen peninsula, where Ballydehob sits, has seen two banks it had closed by the previous Government, leaving no day-to-day bank service within 40 km for many. They have seen Garda stations closed by the previous Government. Local pubs, shops and businesses have closed in the past few years. Cuts to schools' capitation grants have seen our schools struggle for funds. The closed school bus rule has generated more difficulties for parents in rural communities. The Government cut home help service hours for our elderly and yesterday's report on our cataract service proves the Government let elderly people going blind wait five years for cataract operations in west Cork. This is appalling, as the focus by Government was on how it could force cuts on rural Ireland rather than on how it could work with rural Ireland to rebuild and thrive. What can I say to the people of Ballydehob tonight or to other communities in west Cork who have been let down by successive Governments and who are sick of empty promises to save their post offices?

Let me answer the questions in relation to post offices and other services, but can I just say that the contribution the Deputy has just made would suggest that rural Ireland is dying on its feet? I know west Cork-----

It is.

No, I know west Cork well. I know Ballydehob well.

Do something about it then.

I also know that there are parts of west Cork that are thriving. This is a great place to live. There are challenges in relation to post offices and we have worked with An Post. An Post, in particular, has worked with postmasters to come up with an agreed approach to ensure that we have a post office infrastructure that can survive into the future recognising the modern realities that they face.

Nobody is being forced to close. These are voluntary decisions for postmasters to make. What Bridie, I understand, is doing in Ballydehob is challenging people locally to use it or lose it. I congratulate her on it. If one wants to hang on to this post office then let us use it.

Why does the Government not use it?

People have also challenged the Government and we are responding to that. We are seeing parcel services being expanded through the post office network. We are seeing new Government services. There is a digital assist pilot programme being rolled out. An Post has promised new financial services through its post office network before the end of the year. Instead of throwing our hands in the air and saying nothing can be done-----

The Government is sitting on its hands.

-----An Post, working with postmasters and getting agreement and endorsement from them in a ballot, as well as working with the Minister, Deputy Naughten, in particular, who has really taken this issue hugely seriously as a priority in government, is ensuring that we have a future for a post office network that can help a thriving rural economy to grow and develop in the future.

Of course, there is service provision on which we need to focus. I have a whole list of west Cork hospitals in which we are currently investing, from Skibbereen to Bandon, Clonakilty, Dunmanway, Kinsale and Castletownbere. On the other issues the Deputy raised here, such as cataracts, there is ongoing work but we are putting increasing resources into these areas to resolve them.

Blind people.

Let us not paint rural Ireland as part of this country that is dying on its feet-----

The Government is killing it.

-----because it is simply not true.

The Tánaiste does not seem to grasp the seriousness of the situation for people in rural Ireland. He should not stand up here and talk about what the Government is doing for people with cataract operations. For God's sake, let him stop. It is scandalous beyond belief to see the report yesterday of someone five years waiting. The Government let him go blind rather than doing something.

Ballydehob has one of the greatest community spirits in Ireland, safeguarded by one of the finest community gardaí in the country. There is a huge community spirit. Ballydehob is, as I have always called it, the festival capital of Ireland. Almost every weekend, there is a festival. They do work, they work hard but they need their post office, and so do the people of Schull and Goleen, and throughout west Cork. Look at Ballineen post office, with the worry of closure hanging over the community for months as the Government stands idly by and lets it happen.

I call on the Tánaiste today to stand up before the people of this country and say that enough is enough and the Government will co-operate with the Minister, Deputy Naughten, to speed up saving the post office network. The Government must get the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, to sit down immediately to work with Deputy Naughten to have motor tax paid through the post offices. This will help rural communities. The Government must start putting rural community banking into post offices, cut out the 15 km rule between post offices and apply that in the cities where there is a proper transport service for people who can travel. They must ensure that the post office will be a one-stop shop for all Government services. This will let the people of Ballydehob and beyond see the Government TDs are not crying crocodile tears for the post office service.

In relation to Government interest and vibrancy in west Cork, we saw 200 jobs created in Skibbereen across three companies last week and the Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Pat Breen, was there for that. That reinforces what I am saying, that west Cork is a vibrant community. West Cork has challenges that we need to address through policy and An Post is one of the challenges that we are addressing, but that has happened in a way that has the support of postmasters. Nothing is being enforced on anybody.

It is all done by stealth.

If one looks at the new digital assist pilot scheme, two out of the 20 pilots are in west Cork. I take to a certain extent Deputy Michael Collins's point that there are challenges that we need to face to ensure that living in rural Ireland is a vibrant proposition for people and we need to ensure that basic services and infrastructure are there to allow for that, but that is exactly what the Minister, Deputy Naughten, in particular, has taken on board in terms of looking at the new services that we can deliver through the post office network, and those conversations are already taking place in government.