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.