Thurles post office and An Post
Deputy Mattie McGrath raised the future of the Thurles post office and accused the Government and An Post of undermining it through business decisions and contracting-out. The Tánaiste defended An Post’s position, warned about the Deputy’s language, and said management and Ministers had separate roles.
I have just come from a meeting of all Tipperary Deputies with Mr. David McRedmond, Mr. Gary Doyle and Mr. Angus Laverty of An Post and the committee to save the post office in the Square in Thurles. The Government is trying to claim it has no responsibility for it, but we were just told that An Post was finding it very hard to get Government business. The An Post representatives noted that driving licence transactions were given to a private company recently, as were many other things. They also said the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection was actively encouraging recipients to accept payments through banks or online and not through the post office network. The Government is destroying post offices single-handed, but it states here every day that it will not meet people. I ask the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach to instruct the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Bruton, to meet this group and cut out the codology, playing games and passing the buck. It is the Government that is in power and it is destabilising An Post. Some time ago it asked us to allow An Post to raise stamp prices. I voted against it, but it happened. It is reckless. An Post is trading recklessly, while the Government is tying its hands behind its back. It is time the Government took action and that the Minister was instructed to meet the people mentioned and the public representatives of County Tipperary.
Comment on this
The Deputy should be careful with what he says in this House. An Post is not trading recklessly.
Comment on this
An Post has managed to agree a reform programme with postmasters in order to ensure An Post does not have to trade recklessly.
Comment on this
The Minister, Deputy Bruton, has answered the question the Deputy asked him last week. He made it very clear that he has to operate within the law. There are decisions that management in An Post need to take and there are decisions that Ministers need to take; there should not be crossover.
Comment on this
None of them are taking them. It is a cop-out.