FARMINGMATTERS Rural Ireland can overcome challenges but we need action

FOLLOWING recent media reports that over 80 based facilities. Realistically this may not post offices and up to 30 Ulster Bank branches be feasible in every village but on the other hand, are to close across the country, ICSA rural development ICSA believes that we cannot allow everything to chairman Seamus Sherlock has said be based on a centralised model either. this is a further symptom of the need for a comprehensive ICSA advocates the maintenance of rural post Government response to the issue of offices and banks but we are conscious that these rural development and balanced regional growth. businesses need to be profitable, in some cases

“Rural Ireland is not dead but we are experiencing it may be the lesser of two evils to sacrifice the challenging times. It is unlikely that every post non-profitable outlets so to ensure the future of office can be saved but we must do everything the ones remaining. We also need to ensure that possible to make the optimum amount of post even if some Garda stations will not be reopened offices viable throughout the country. We need that we have a progressive model of community more urgency to put the constructive proposals policing where Gardaí are based within rural from the Kerr report into action. communities and know the people.”

The Government and the financial services ICSA believes that the issue is not about a sector could do a lot more by maximising the building at every crossroad but about the level use of post offices to provide additional state and of service. “It is far better to have 30 viable post financial services in rural communities where offices in a county rather than 40 post offices neither government nor the commercial sectors and very few viable. However, our fear is that are willing to provide such services. Government inaction will result in sowing the

We must be realistic; modern technology has seeds of long-term decline right across rural brought massive change and with these advances Ireland with almost nothing viable. ICSA believes there is always going to be a need to adapt. But that rural Ireland can overcome challenges but in a country where broadband is still totally we need action now to transform this into a inadequate in many rural areas we also need community vibrant future.”