Is the Tánaiste aware of the alarming trend of urban post offices closing and the impact this is having on communities? In that past year alone in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown constituency, Monkstown and Foxrock post offices have closed. Residents in Dalkey were told this week that their local post office will be closing on Friday, 8 October, and that the postmaster is retiring after 14 years of service. On a personal note, I wish Christopher Good all the very best in his retirement and thank him and his staff for all the work they have done. An Post has advised that it is trying to get another post office into Dalkey but despite its best efforts, it has had no such luck to date. Dalkey is a town of almost 7,000 residents, on a par with Tuam, Ballinasloe and New Ross. It would be unthinkable for such a large town to lose its post office. I note that the programme for Government commits to maintaining the national post office network. Can the Tánaiste advise the House what the Government is doing to retain post offices in urban and rural areas? We do not want to lose any more of them.

I am aware of a number of closures in urban areas, including in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area. The Deputy has raised the issue before, as has Deputy Carroll MacNeill. It is not so much that An Post or the Government ever decides to close a post office, it is more the case that when the postmaster retires, it can often be difficult to find somebody who is willing to take on the role. The policy of Government is clear that certainly within urban areas, nobody should be more than 5 km away from a post office. That is the policy we are trying to uphold.