Paddy Harte
Fine Gael General Election candidate for Donegal, Paddy Harte, today welcomed the agreements reached as part of the Post Office Network Business Development Group report, saying the proposals will enhance the service and support competitiveness.
He said that in the course of my work throughout Donegal, supporting people in their efforts to develop their communities, it was always evident to him that rural post offices were a vital element in rural sustainability.
“We now have an opportunity to secure the future of rural communities by being innovative in how we treat local Post Offices. I am confident they can be Rural Information Hubs
“While post offices remain central to Irish communities, there has been a need to develop its functions to secure its viability,” he stated. The Business Development Group was asked to identify new business opportunities for the post office network and has reported back with a number of recommendations.
“Post offices need to offer more to customers, including online banking, direct debits and ATM cards. I therefore very much welcome the news that eAccounts are to be rolled out in 2016,” he continued, adding that a feasibility study of offering motor tax services is also to be carried out.
“The post office is a defining facility in rural villages in Donegal and across the country. Implementing the recommendations of this report, though challenging, is very important. It is essential that we continue to create jobs in all parts of the country to provide business for post offices and to invest in vital services.
“Fine Gael has a long term plan to keep the recovery going. Our plan will deliver more new jobs, spread right across the country, jobs that pay more than welfare, where hard work is rewarded. The plan will also deliver affordable, sustainable investments in services using the resources from growing employment.”
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