Closure of Post Offices is ‘imminent’ Postal Union Tells Lowry

The Irish Postmasters Union has told Deputy Lowry that significant Post Office closures in both urban and rural areas are imminent as the €30m subsidy over a fixed 3-year period from Government will not be sufficient to sustain them indefinitely.

‘The allocation of €30m in once-off-funding over three years to the Post Office Network across the country was welcomed, but it will not be enough to secure the future of the network of more than 900 Post Offices across the country’ says Deputy Lowry.

‘This money will merely serve as an expensive sticking plaster to temporarily keep Post Offices open unless it is followed up by the Government’s promised measures to increase the services provided by Post Offices.

‘Part of the agreed measures to ensure long-term sustainability was that Government would direct more of their transactions through the Post Office network. Covid was initially blamed for delays in putting such plans in motion, but that is no longer a credible excuse.

‘In June of last year, I raised this matter in the Dail, and was informed by the Tanaiste that an Offline Services Group has been set up to explore the potential of a ‘One Stop Shop’ approach to the delivery of Government services and to examine the feasibility of directing more business to the Post Office Network. An update from this Group is urgently required.

‘If Government does not uphold this end of the agreement the future for Post Offices right across the country is bleak', he said.

‘It has been proven that the long-term viability of Posts Offices is dependent on directing a range of Government transactions through them. More than 500 of An Post’s 939 post offices nationwide are situated in locations without a mainstream Bank presence. If Post Offices close, many communities will be cast adrift.

‘This is vital, not just to the survival of the current Post Offices, but to ensure that the services offered by them in local communities remain a viable and attractive business opportunity when the existing Postmaster or Postmistress retires.

‘There are numerous cases where there is nobody willing to take on the business of operating a Post Office because the services they can offer are too restrictive to make them viable business ventures. The result is that smaller communities lose their Post Office.

‘I have highlighted the ongoing struggles of Post Offices on numerous occasions in the Dail, in the media and also in conjunction with the Regional Group of TD when we tabled a Private Members Motion on the matter. ‘I will continue to raise this issue until a satisfactory resolution is reached’ he concluded.