Mattie McGrath warns post office network faces collapse
Mattie McGrath warned the post office network is about to collapse without state intervention, citing COVID-driven shifts to card payments that are choking outlets. He urged the minister and the minister's colleague to seriously examine the post office network, saying pressure exists in both rural and urban areas.
Immediate concern
McGrath told the Dáil that COVID has accelerated people paying by card, which means payments are not going through post offices and is choking the network. He warned the post office network is at risk unless the State intervenes to support it.
Political context
He accused Deputy Fitzpatrick of complaining while voting with the Government and said regional independents are also voting with it but trying to appear in opposition. McGrath framed the issue as one ministers responsible should address urgently.
Minister's response and recent measures
The minister said the post office portfolio remains within the department and reported a turnaround in on post, with the company beginning to grow again and introducing new services. The minister noted a scheme launched three weeks earlier to help people save energy in their homes and said the company is opening up new financial instruments.
Local initiatives and service expansion
The minister cited an example from North West Cork where a post office sought to introduce community work hub centres to attract business. She said the company is expanding into parcel delivery, financial services and other areas and that post offices can serve as centres for government services and new financial offerings.
Outlook for the network
The minister expressed confidence that new services will lead to growth and business change, acknowledging the network will be different as mail volumes shift with technology. Both speakers agreed the future of the Irish post office system depends on adaptation and active support.
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Just a point of information, it's amazing to see Deputy Fitzpatrick is here complaining, and he's voting for your government every single vote, no matter what it is. The regional independents are voting with it, and they want to play a double act here of being in opposition. Minister, it's your area, or it's Minister Catherine Martin's area, the post office network is about to collapse if there's no state intervention in it. COVID has a huge impact there because it's all the time encouraging people to pay by card, so the payments aren't going through the post offices now either, so you're choking them. And will you, and your colleague Minister in the Green Party and the Government, seriously look at the post office network because it's going to be no longer, and that's not only in rural Ireland, but it's also in urban areas, we know the post offices as well, under huge pressure. Thank you. I'm glad to say, Deputy McGrath, that it is still my area of responsibility, it's within our department, and I'm also glad to say that one of the things that in recent years we've seen is a turnaround in on post, where the company is actually starting to grow again, the company is introducing new services. Only three weeks ago, I helped launch with the company a new scheme they have to help people save energy in their homes. They're working with an energy company and they're providing the finance, they're opening up a whole range of new financial instruments. I met Minister, Deputy Moynan yesterday, who told me an example up in North West Cork, where a local post office was seeking to introduce community work hub centres within the post office and see whether that would be a way of attracting business. We need to use those post offices as the centres for government services and for a whole range of new financial services and other services. We are committed to doing that. We are seeing the expansion of on post into the areas like parcel delivery, financial services and other areas. And I hope, I'm confident that that will lead to actually growing business, new business. It will be different. It's not going to stay the same. It's not going to, we're not going to retain the mail or other systems, which are by tech, as people move on and moving on. There is a future for the Irish post office system and the network. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
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