A local postmaster has warned this week that the Government must wake up to the threat to post offices in Westmeath.
Vincent Harney, who runs the post office in Cornafulla, Athlone was speaking to delegates at the annual conference of the Irish Postmasters’ Union in Fitzpatrick’s Hotel, Killiney, Co Dublin.
He warned that the future of hundreds of post offices nationally, and a number in Westmeath, was in the balance due to the plan to have social welfare payments contract tendered internationally.
“We understand that there is a very good chance that in the short term An Post will retain the contract but a second tender is to be issued in June that could result in a major transfer of the social welfare payment system to an electronic form,” he said.
“We are not against new technology or progress but the public are entitled to access their money in the way that best suits their needs. We do not yet know the full terms of the new tender but we are very concerned that it will force the successful tenderer to rush headlong down the e-commerce route.
“The Government should be very wary of the consequences, not just for an estimated 400 post offices that would close immediately if An Post were to lose the contract, but also for Irish society. It would be catastrophic.”
Mr Harney told the delegates that the public were being forced more and more into using banks that don’t want to see customers; are forever increasing or introducing new charges; and in whom the public have little trust.
“As we saw last year people can also go weeks without having access to the cash in their bank account,” he said.
“Another issue we have with Government is their failure to utilise the outstanding network of 1,100 post offices throughout the country to provide additional services to communities,” said Mr Harney.
“We commissioned the accountancy firm Grant Thornton to validate our figures and they established that by allowing the public to renew their motor tax in post offices it would save the taxpayer €60m.
“We also believe there is a real opportunity to develop a system of electronic form generation where forms can be printed as required at post offices for a small fee, forms can be updated on request, and these services would save the Government money. Hospital charges could also be paid through our network.”
