Dublin has no understanding of the role of post offices in rural Ireland

I write in support of the postmasters’ recent appeal to the Social Protection Minister Joan Burton TD to withdraw new Social Protection forms — which recommend payment through banks and discourage use of the post office — and that the forms be reissued in their previous format, with the post office as the first option listed, and where no recommendation is made.

The Irish Postmasters’ Union (IPU) stressed, and rightly so, that all post offices will be under threat of closure if social protection business is taken away.

A post office is a vital element in the social fabric of any community. The future of the sub-post office is not just about economic viability, it is about serving the community and ensuring that local structures are retained.