There is real anger in Roscommon town following the announcement by An Post to close the post office building in the heart of the town. It was built in 1911 and it is 112 years old. The building means a great deal to the people of Roscommon. They do not want to see it closed or sold. It appears that Roscommon is the first county town to lose its An Post-run post office. The plan is for the service to move elsewhere, probably to a local shop or wherever the new postmaster decides. This really is not good enough.

We have seen a number of post offices being shoved into supermarkets where there is little or no privacy, usually in cramped spaces. I imagine there can be no possibility of growing services in those post offices. Is that really what we want for the An Post network? That model might suit some villages where colocation saves post offices, but I do not believe it should be the model for our large county towns, where the post office is thriving. Will the Tánaiste bring this matter to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and ask him to engage with Members, including members of his own party who are against this move?

I know the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, has been very active and proactive in working with the Irish Postmasters Union in respect of supports for postmasters generally. I am not sure in this case if the closure was occasioned by a retirement-----

No.

-----or whether it was a policy decision to close it. I do not know the background to the case but I will certainly talk to the Minister in regard to it.

I would have had my reservations about some colocations with supermarkets but it has worked in some areas because of the significant footfall, which means there is more access and more people use the service, and that in turn contributes to its sustainability. I know Roscommon is a big county town and I can understand the questions Deputy Kerrane and others raise in respect of the post office closure. I will ask the Minister to come back to her.