An Post closure plans will ‘rip heart from rural areas’

Call for a U-turn on plan to shut 159 offices in retirement package

PLANS to shut 159 post offices as part of a voluntary retirement package for postmasters will ‘tear the heart out of rural Ireland’, Fianna Fáil has warned.

Yesterday An Post published the locations of the offices as well as where their business will transfer to after they shut.

The move is part of an agreement between the Government and the Irish Postmasters’ Union, which accepted the move by a vote of five to one earlier this year.

But Fianna Fáil communications spokesman Timmy Dooley called on Communications Minister Denis Naughten to reverse the decision. Fianna Fáil estimates it would cost €8million a year in subvention to keep the service running. ‘It’s an unnecessary decision that will tear the heart out of rural Ireland,’ Mr Dooley said. ‘We have proposed in the past that the State put out a public service procurement tender on the post office, to protect it.’

An Post says all the closures are in locations with populations of fewer than 500 people, and within 15km of at least one other post office – on average the nearest adjoining post office is within 7km. All 159 will be shut by January next year, and the closures will be advertised with plenty of notice.

But Mr Dooley said: ‘If somebody in Fine Gael believes a distance of 15km is acceptable in rural Ireland, it is a failure on their part to understand rural Ireland.’

The worst-affected counties are Galway with 18 and Donegal with 17, while Cork and Kerry have 12 each. Mr Naughten said: ‘We have worked tirelessly on restructuring... in order to save [An Post]. The Government invested €30million to safeguard the five-day-aweek mails delivery and collection service and enhance services.’