I wish to highlight again the real bank in the country, the honest one in which we all believe and the one that never let us down, namely, the post office.

Hear, hear.

I do not wish to hear about IBRC, Bank of Ireland, Allied Irish Banks or any of those valueless banks for which we paid millions, and are still paying millions, through the universal social charge in order that they could stay alive. Let us all talk about the real bank, which is the post office. I want the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection to come to the House to explain about the new social welfare forms. I want them withdrawn. The Irish Postmasters Union said that all post offices will be under threat of closure if social protection transaction business is taken away. We really need to take this on board because savings and savings certificates in the post office are probably the most valuable savings people have in any bank in Ireland because the post office does not rob people and then come back and ask people to pay for the robbery. I request that the forms would be reissued and that the Minister would come to the House to confirm that is the case. Social welfare payments account for more than 30% of transactions and if they are removed, the core business is gone.

While I acknowledge what the Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection, Deputy Kevin Humphreys, has said on the matter, we should be treating the post office network as a national asset by taking its social and community value into account. The Oireachtas should provide the powers required to keep our post offices alive and to extend its range of functions, which currently include banking and payment of motor tax, drivers licence fees, insurance and pensions.

The Irish people do not have great faith in the prospect of good politics or good banking. We are good politicians in this House, and this is the forum from which we can support our post offices, as the most valuable resource in every town, county and urban area in Ireland. We should be extending them and giving them more powers rather than shutting them down and capitulating to the banks. I urge Senators to support me in introducing a framework that would allow the post office network to remain independent and to grow under the Houses of the Oireachtas. I want to amend the Order of Business to debate this issue with the Minister.

Is the Senator referring to the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection?

The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources may also like to come to the House for the debate because he has responsibility for communications. They can both attend.

I ask the Senator to clarify the amendment.

It is to bring in the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection.

On what issue?

On the issue of the social welfare forms, the capitulation to the banks and the disposal of post offices.

I second Senator O'Donnell's amendment to the Order of Business. I met representatives of the Irish Postmasters Union yesterday. The form shows clear bias towards financial institutions over post offices. It directs people to use a financial institution instead of a post office. That flies in the face of the assurances given by the Ministers for Social Protection and Communications, Energy and Natural Resources that there is no inherent bias towards financial institutions when it comes to social welfare payments, and that post offices and banks are treated equally. That is simply not the case. If Senators read the forms they will see what they are telling people. They even state that it is in individuals' interest to go to financial institutions. That is even worse than a clear bias because if people withdraw from their post offices and go to financial institutions, there will be job losses and closures of post offices. Post offices have already closed in many rural areas. I need not rehearse the argument about the impact on rural communities and even urban centres, where post offices provide a crucial social service.

In regard to the one parent family changes which come into effect in July, the SPARK organisation is protesting outside Leinster House today. These changes will drive more families and, especially, women into poverty. I was in this Chamber in 2012 when the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection said she would not implement these changes until proper social and affordable, or Scandinavian as she put it, child care was available to the citizens of this State.

That will never happen in this country.

She has not provided those services but she is proceeding with the cuts anyway. Shame on her. When she is here to debate the post office network, I hope that she will also deal with this crucial issue before the change is implemented on 2 July. I will be joining the protestors from SPARK when they are demonstrating against a cruel cut to those who head one parent families.