I was discussing the issue of post offices with my colleague Deputy Eamon Scanlon. We have lost six in my constituency of Meath East. The Taoiseach also needs to know about the uproar in the town of Gurteen in County Sligo where my wife is from at the closure of its post office and the devastation being inflicted on the local community. It is still attracting hundreds of people to meetings. Many people live in the village. It something which An Post states incorrectly, which is outrageous. I pay tribute to Deputy Scanlon in his hard fight on this issue, but we now need the Government to state the post office should remain open. Apart from the six post offices that have been closed in my constituency, An Post has promised a new post office in Kentstown, County Meath, but there has been no word about it since last August.

I attended a meeting in the village of Gurteen at 6 p.m. last Sunday evening, to which 450 people turned up. The post office in the village is being closed and it is the wrong decision. To use An Post's protocol, Mr. David McRedmond stated on RTÉ radio that where there was a population of 500 people, the post office would not close. An Post is using the 2016 census figures which are three years old in the case of this post office and on that basis is going to close it. As I said, it is the wrong decision as it is a very busy post office that would survive. Rural Deputies ask in the House for support for rural people, rural areas and villages. We are now in this position. The pensioners who collect their pension payments in Gurteen, County Sligo will now have to make a journey of 14 km to collect them. As many of them do not have a car, they will have to pay somebody to bring them there and back. Five post offices in the area have already been closed. I know that some have to close as they are not viable, but this one is. To add insult to injury, An Post officials arrived yesterday and put up a brand new sign on the post office, which is due to close in eight days. I ask the Taoiseach to talk to the Minister, Deputy Bruton, to see what can be done because this decision is wrong.

The last time Fianna Fáil was in government nearly 1,000 post offices were closed across the country.

The situation is the same as it was then. Governments do not decide which post offices should be closed. It is not a Government decision, but there are post offices that are not viable.

This one is.

They do not have enough business or footfall to be sustainable. There is a system in place to allow decisions on closures to be reviewed if the post offices are viable.

Five post offices in the area have already been closed.