Deputy Joe McHugh
IRELAND needs a sustainable post office network that serves the need of communities in the long term, Donegal TD Joe McHugh said today.
“There are genuine concerns regarding the future of post offices and the services they provide in both rural and urban areas,” said the Fine Gael deputy.
“I have been engaging with An Post directly to identify the challenges they are facing and with the goal of achieving the best outcome for all those who rely on the services they provide. An Post has many strengths including the largest retail presence in the country and it needs to further exploit its unique position in this regard.
“I have called on Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte, An Post and the Postmasters to realise a long term plan with a clear strategy around the future of the postal service in this country. In 2016, the Social Welfare contract, which is currently held with An Post, will be up for renewal and this will provide An Post the opportunity to review and agree its proposals with the Government on how it intends to roll out this contract in the future.”
Deputy McHugh said that the computerisation of all post offices, the post office network is well positioned to become the front office provider of choice for Government and financial services sector. Any such developments are subject to public procurement requirements as appropriate, he said.
“The Government is committed to a strong and viable An Post and supports its maintenance of the maximum number of economically viable post offices, ensuring that Irish customers, both business and residential, enjoy competitively high quality postal services. The Postmaster Union and An Post are two entities which need to come together to find an agreement that will ultimately secure the long-term success of both organisations.
“Flexibility and innovation is key to the future of our post offices. AIB have a partnership with An Post so customers of AIB who can’t make it to an AIB branch, can carry out many of their personal and business transactions at their local post office, even on a Saturday morning. Bank of Ireland have had similar arrangements with the UK Post Office and it would be good to see similar partnerships in Ireland.
“We have to be realistic about the changing requirements and needs of consumers and customers and I welcome the ongoing debate around how we address these changes and adapt. The job over the next two years is to accurately assess the situation, with a focus on the social welfare contract due to be reviewed in 2016.
“Now is the moment to engage all relevant groups and to allow them to outline their viewpoints so we can arrive at a sustainable solution that will not only address the current challenges but also lay the foundations for a strengthened service which will be capable of adapting to our future needs.”