An Post disputes claims of post office closures

AN POST has rejected criticisms that the company is haemorrhaging post offices following Labour Party claims that there has been a closure every 10 days since Communications Minister Noel Demspey took charge.

Labour’s Tommy Broughan claimed the number of post offices had dropped from 1,800 in the year 2000 to just 1,295 today — a loss of 505 that amounted to the “disappearance and downgrading” of the post office network.

An Post provided different figures, however. The company said it had 1,914 post offices in 2000 and 1,545 today — a reduction of 369 that would decrease when a small number of offices that were temporarily closed were reopened.

Mr Broughan said the failure to install computers to automate 295 of the post offices meant they could not offer the full range of post office services. “There has been a lot of rhetoric from An Post about the need for the company’s expansion into new services such as bill pay facilities and financial services,” he said.

An Post said the number of non-automated post offices was higher, totalling 393, but said they represented only a small proportion of the total national business carried out by the network.

Company spokeswoman Anna McHugh said: “Across the network, the automated post offices handled 97% of our business. It leaves the remaining offices handling 3% so it may not be economically viable to automate some post offices.

“We are coming near the end of a pilot scheme where we installed computers in 10 of the non-automated offices in a variety of locations, some of them with very low volumes of business and some with moderate levels, and that will be evaluated so we haven’t made a blanket decision not to automate.”

Ms McHugh said some new offices were being opened in growing suburban areas but others were closing because of falling population, inability to attract new postmasters or because they were uneconomic to operate. She said 165 had been converted to postal agents in local shops since 2000.

“The bulk of the post office network has been in place since the late 18th century. The changes are a natural reflection of the changes in demographics and technology that have taken place.”

Mr Broughan reserved his strongest criticism for Communications Minister Noel Dempsey, who, he said, had failed to live up to earlier pronouncements about the important social function post offices performed and the necessity of maintaining and strengthening them.

“In practice, the disappearance and downgrading of the post office network has evoked no response from Minister Dempsey…. he has prepared no national plan or policy for the Post Office network.”

A spokesman for the minister said the opening and closure of individual post offices was a matter for the company. However, he added: “The Government and the board of An Post are committed to the objective of ensuring the continuation of a viable and sustainable nationwide post office network as set out in the Programme for Government.”

An Post and Belgian bank, Fortis, are expected to announce details of a deal to provide an expanded range of financial services from post office outlets. Ms McHugh said it was hoped the new services would be on offer from early 2007.