Gareth Scahill
Nominated by the Taoiseach · Fine Gael · Ireland
“Before we finish up I call for a debate on home care services when we come back in September. We all know the value of carers in our society but an awful lot of the HSE support service staff going into houses are private agency staff and when the person they are looking after goes into hospital or into respite the support they are getting…”
“Can we reset the clock? I will start by mentioning the "parents notify" portal on the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, website for special classes and special places, which has a deadline of 1 September.”
“Like previous speakers, the Leas-Chathaoirleach might allow me to thank the staff of the House, including the ushers and all the catering staff and, reluctantly, all of my colleagues in the House. We do not always get on or agree but there is great respect in the House.”
“I welcome the Minister to the House. Like so many of the previous speakers, it would be disingenuous of me not to concede I agree with some of the points in the motion.”
“The whole country has these facilities now, meaning that should we ever experience something like Storm Éowyn in 2025 again, we will have supports to allow people to continue to work remotely, provide for their families and live where they want to.”
“I do not believe one size fits all in Ireland. The Minister's county, my county and Longford are all in one big district and we have not benefited from additional Garda numbers in quite some time.”
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“We need to get out there and get questionnaires into the schools early to try to find out what the future demand is going to be, not just for next year, but in the longer term. I like what the previous speaker said about multi-year applications. We have all had the representations from families who have to make the same appeals every September when their tickets do not come through the door. Going back to the sustainability and efficiency of the routes, last March, I met with a group of parents in a particular rural area who were having to drop students quite a substantial distance away from their homes to meet the bus route at what they felt was a dangerous place for dropping off students. They came up with a plan.”
“One of the problems that I have with the system is the communication. It is one of the longest processes in terms of getting a response when we raise an issue with the school bus system. I have raised this in the Chamber previously, with the Minister of State and with Bus Éireann. I hope that when the strategy is put in place in November this year, Bus Éireann will embrace it, stand up and respond to public representatives when we send in correspondence. An issue that was mentioned by both previous speakers is sustainability and the efficiency of the routes. The only way that matter will improve is through more engagement with students and schools at a much earlier stage.”
“I thank the Minister of State for being here and I thank the Cathaoirleach for organising this discussion this evening. Like Senator Curley, I want to acknowledge the 178,000 students that are getting on buses every morning, the 8,200 buses, and the 10,600 routes in the system. The Minister of State said that no child should be left behind and it is great to hear that. The increase in spending in this sector in recent years is impressive, going from €200 million to over €500 million, and shows that the Government is trying to resolve this issue and ensure that no child is left behind. As Senator Curley has said, there are several issues that we are constantly being told about on the doorsteps. People are constantly getting in touch with us, both schools and parents, with issues.”
“Irish Rail told me that 75% of purchases are done through its website or the app channels, which still leaves 25% and, potentially, when we find out what is happening our data, the number of people who are looking to buy these tickets at the local stations will increase. I call on the House to have a conversation about the different public systems that we are using and to give people of all age groups – not just older people, but young people as well – the ability to buy different things physically in the State rather than by means of apps or websites.”
“Even though they are on the rail network, I would have to make a connection in Dublin and buy a separate ticket. When I contacted Irish Rail about this, it told me that the vending machines in the stations were two decades old and, unfortunately, it was not a simple change to add stations on other routes and enable the purchase of tickets due to the legacy aspect of the technology in the machines. Just because it is not working does not mean we cannot look at changing this. People are worried about their data and what is happening the data when they go onto any of those websites or these apps, so we need to give them an opportunity to do this at the actual stations.”
“I, too, wish to be associated with the condolence messages that have been echoed in the Chamber today. Last week, in the Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence, we heard from the young people and youth representative bodies regarding AI and the impact on their lives. This morning, we also heard from representatives from the older bodies, people representing the older demographic. A lot of the information we heard from both demographic groups was about what the apps and the tech companies are doing with our data when they access it. I was at the train station in Castlerea last week and I realised it was very simple on the machine in the station to buy a ticket to Dublin or to Westport but it was not a simple process, or it was not possible for me, to buy a ticket to Drogheda, Dundalk, Sligo, Cork, Wexford, Roscrea or Limerick.”
“It requires every State body to provide and maintain a dedicated email address for Oireachtas Members and meet target response times of acknowledgement within three days with a contact point and a substantive response within 15 working days. I call for a debate on whether that is enforced so that we are able to provide the service we are expected to.”
“I wish to raise an issue that came up at one of the committee meetings yesterday regarding Oireachtas enquiry lines. I was trying to highlight with the witness a delay in getting responses. Following a bit of research, I found it is a much bigger issue across a lot more of the boards and agencies that we have access to. We as public representatives should not have to go back to members of the public with excuses as to why we have not received an answer within a specific time. I did some research. For State agencies and bodies, the rules are set by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Circular 25/2016.”
“If the Minister was here, I was going to acknowledge response he gave on Monday, 8 September, to Deputy O'Flynn regarding the national development plan and what the Government was planning to continue to invest in the prison services, which included additional investment for additional spaces in Castlerea Prison. I would have thus expected the facilities in Castlerea to have been used more given the increased capacity. I thank the Minister of State very much for his response.”
“I thank the Minister of State very much. It is interesting to hear there has been no change to that, but I welcome the additional court staff. I am looking at a newspaper cutting from 2020 with the headline "Harristown courthouse makes history as video-link installed for hearings". It was celebrated at the time. Obviously, we were dealing with a situation where we were trying to stop the spread of Covid-19 at the time. However, for some of these travels, I would hope that the videolink system could be used more to reduce the number of sittings that are required for people travelling and, with the additional judges, I hope that can be looked at.”
“I ask the Minister of State to give clarity and tell us what is happening, what is being done to fix it and when we can expect the situation to change.”
“When can we expect these facilities to be used on a regular basis, as was originally intended when public money was spent on them? This is not just a theoretical issue. It is a live, practical problem that affects prison staff, prisoners and our court system and, ultimately, it affects the taxpayer. We are spending twice, once to build the facility that we are not using and, again, to cover the enormous cost of doing these things the old way. At a time when we are talking about efficiencies in justice, modernising our Prison Service, reducing the risk and respecting human rights, it is simply indefensible to have a courtroom in Castlerea Prison lying idle while convoys travel up and down the country every week.”
“Why spend taxpayers' money on state-of-the-art facilities only to let them gather dust while continuing to incur the cost, the security risk and the human strain of long-distance prisoner travel? There are specific questions that the Department and the Courts Service must try to answer. Why are the modern facilities in Castlerea not being used? Are they legal? Are there administrative issues? Are they infrastructural or resource-based in nature? What steps has the Department taken to make Castlerea Prison courtroom operational? Has any assessment been carried out to compare the cost of these long journeys in financial terms, security terms and staff strain against the cost of activating the courtroom in Castlerea Prison? What is the timeline?”
“Yet, despite this investment, these facilities are laying largely idle. Instead, what continues to happen is that prison officers in Castlerea are escorting prisoners to courts all over the country, including Letterkenny, a round trip of eight hours in some cases. That is not an efficient use of resources, it is not safe and it is not fair on staff who are pulled away from their core duties inside the prison. It is certainly not fair on prisoners who must endure long, disruptive journeys for court appearances that in many cases could and should be dealt with on site via secure videolink. This raises very basic questions. Why have a courtroom in Castlerea if it is not going to be used?”
“The Minister of State is very welcome this morning. I thank him for coming in to answer this Commencement matter. The situation regarding the courtroom facilities in Castlerea Prison is something I have wanted to raise for some time. Castlerea is a medium-security prison, purpose built to serve as a committal prison for Connacht and counties like Cavan, Donegal and Longford. It has a capacity of 340. It is a modern facility equipped to deal with the realities of the prison population in the 21st century. However, part of the investment was the provision of a courtroom and associated infrastructure including videolink technology, holding cells and the necessary security systems. These were put in place precisely to reduce the burden of escorting prisoners long distances, increase safety and make the justice system more efficient.”
“In the past two weeks, we welcomed home 75 kg world champion Aoife O'Rourke to my own town, Castlerea. We have athletes performing above their potential. An awful lot more could meet their potential if we had the facilities within our education system, which we are already investing in.”
“While talking about disability services, I would like to mention the potential for a disability service in Castlerea, County Roscommon in an old derelict building called Hanley Hall that the diocese is open to making available for that purpose. CBS Roscommon, Roscommon Community College, Abbey Community College in Boyle and Elphin Community College are all earmarked for expansion but by the time the expansion happens, we will have to look at additional expansion. Can this be factored in? The time it will take to deliver these school projects means they will already need more capacity by the time they are ready, especially sports facilities. We are lucky enough. Senator Brady spoke yesterday about an athlete from Longford who performed very well at the weekend.”
“It will not be able to deal with the volume of traffic turning right towards Williamstown, Dunmore, Ballyhaunis and that particular area. I recently conducted an accessibility survey with the Brothers of Charity rehabilitation care in Castlerea. That particular junction was highlighted as a major issue for all of the service users in Castlerea. To think that we are about to significantly increase the traffic using that is a very big problem. I wish to mention the N60 once more in relation to that. I also concur with my colleague on purpose-built housing and age-friendly housing. It will open up a lot more housing in rural Ireland such as in my area.”
“We expect it to be opened early next year but it will have an impact on the other roads that come from it and the other areas. Since I was a young boy, there has been reference to looking after the N60 from Roscommon to Ballyhaunis. In the 2022-2028 plan, it speaks of an upgrade of that route and looking at developing a strategy to upgrade that route. That was a copy and paste job from the previous plan and the plan before that. With the upgrades that have happened on the N5, we are about to put significant traffic on that particular road. That will probably be at a specific junction that is already at creaking point in Castlerea. It is a place called "Hell's Kitchen corner" in Castlerea. The traffic will come from Frenchpark and the N60.”
“I welcome this conversation. I thank the Minister of State for coming into us today. Unlike my esteemed colleague, I did not get the chance to visit the rest of the country on the canvass for the Seanad, so I will talk about Roscommon and my area. I concur with Senator Cosgrove about the plan the Northern and Western Regional Assembly produced as well as a call for overall balanced regional development. Unfortunately, the plan the Senator referred to has very little reference to Roscommon in it. The infrastructure projects are very lacking in that. One project that was in the county development plan and the previous plan was the N5 from Scramoge to Ballaghaderreen, which the Government and the previous Government have significantly invested in.”
“Generally, it seems accepted that people in public life take this on board and accept it as the done thing but our family members and friends are threatened and it extends beyond this. I am sure that Members of the House have often been accused of things or things have been said about them at various stages that are completely untrue but we have no mechanism to correct it. As soon as we answer any of these things we give them more fuel. I am sure we have full cross-party support for starting this conversation. I would welcome the opportunity, if it could be included on the schedule in the very near future.”
“I stand today to speak about social media and a number of stories that presented themselves over the summer. There was the spreading of misinformation and threats. Social media policy seems to protect the protagonists in these situations more than the victims. It is affecting every area of life at present but, specifically at this moment in time, it is affecting Oireachtas Members. It is affecting presidential candidates. It is also definitely prevalent among the general public and the general population. It is a real threat to democracy and a threat to the future of people getting into public life. I call for a debate in the House. It would be great if we could call on the social media companies to get involved.”
“A lot of the larger food providers are chasing bigger schools and leaving smaller schools aside. I have been out to a number of the schools. They just want to provide hot school meals to the students in their classes, who deserve that. Thankfully, we have been able to facilitate the majority of them. When they are told they should not be reheating and serving these dinners, the same principals are expected to be project managers, quantity surveyors and facilitators of every other service provided in the school. We should be supporting the schools with delivering this much-needed service to the students which has gone down very well. We should not be putting barriers in their way to getting that.”
“I join everyone else in welcoming Martin Hughes to his new role. I also pay tribute to Martin Groves and Bridget Doody for their work in their former roles. When talking about two people who have always gone above and beyond in their roles, it is worth mentioning the staff working in our schools. A lot have come back in difficult times, experiencing issues with bus transport and school meals. A lot of smaller schools received notification in recent weeks to say they were below the number of meals being delivered and did not have sufficient staff to heat and serve the food because of the size of the school. It is a disservice to what teachers, principals and administration staff do in providing for students to say they do not have the staff to deliver this service to their students.”
“I thank Bridget and all the staff here in the Seanad as well. They have made it a very easy transition from rural Ireland to coming up here.”
“Now that Bus Éireann has an idea of who needs buses for the next academic year, I would like it to engage with us as public reps much earlier, right now, to see what solutions we can put in place before September to ensure that everybody is serviced and has that service available to access school. However, I wish to put on the record my appreciation. It did take two and a half months to get a response from the reps' email address, so hopefully we can improve on that for the next term. Before we finish up, on behalf of the Fine Gael Members in this House, I say "thank you" to all the staff here in the Houses of the Oireachtas, including the ushers, the caterers and the cleaners. It has been my first five months involved in this House and they have made us feel very much part of the furniture throughout. I thank them for that.”
“I rise today, on the final sitting of this term, to talk about school buses once again. It is something I have raised on at least two occasions in recent weeks, but this is a good news story. Bus Éireann this week came back to me and, after a submission I made initially in March, said: We have investigated the feasibility of amending the school bus to serve Ballymoe Village and I wish to advise that this amendment will take effect for the 2025/2026 ... academic year. Because of what I have said in this Chamber before, I want to acknowledge and thank Bus Éireann for coming back to me on that.”
“We have also had discussions here about supporting people like Alex Dunne in Formula One and other athletes who are flying the flag for Ireland further afield who are not getting recognition. I am glad I got to speak after Senator Flaherty as I am going to speak about two people who I am going to claim for Roscommon, namely,Jake and Luke Bermingham, who are leading the way in freestyle kayaking. Jake is 16 and is ranked seventh in the world in the junior men's category and Luke is 14 and he is ranked fourth in the world in the junior category. We must look at additional sports that are off the mainstream radar and support them because that is how we will get more participation across society.”
“We are looking for the same commitment from the Department of sport, that is - grit, determination and ability to perform under significant pressure. The Minister of State should not feel the pressure here today to provide more money but if he could, we would appreciate it for all of our constituencies. I cannot speak about sport without acknowledging some of our renowned athletes in Roscommon. In my town, Aoife and Lisa O'Rourke are two internationally recognised boxers. Bringing Katie Taylor back to perform in Croke Park has been mentioned. Lisa, who was recognised in 2022 as the young sportsperson of the year, also plays midfield for Roscommon. We might have an international boxer performing in Croke Park before Katie Taylor at some stage.”
“At the end of 2024, Roscommon as a county was approved for funding of €5.5 million from the large-scale sports infrastructure scheme. It was for the development of the Dermot Earley Centre of Excellence by Roscommon GAA. The chairman, Brian Carroll, and the entire Roscommon county board deserve massive credit for that. That was something we achieved without having a Minister of State with responsibility for sport in the constituency, which is welcome. Ireland has always punched well above its weight. That is because of our deep-rooted passion for sport and the high level of participation that we have. Irish athletes are renowned for their grit, determination and ability to perform under pressure.”
“It is great to have a discussion about gender balance and getting more women involved in sport because that was not the conversation ten or 15 years ago. We welcome that whole conversation. I would like to tie in with something Senator Rabbitte mentioned about swimming pools. I am lucky enough to come from a part of the country where for most of my life we have a 33 m outdoor swimming pool open for the three months of the summer. It has been a benefit to our community healthwise but also from a water safety point of view and teaching people the life skill of swimming. That has been far reaching. We have not reached the heights of Mona McSharry yet but if we can extend the pool to 50 m, who knows what the potential for that will be.”
“I thank the Minister of State very much for facilitating today's statements on sport. Like previous speakers, I reiterate the health benefits of investing in sport. We have often spoken in this Chamber about revitalising and regenerating rural Ireland and what a rural economy needs to survive. Sporting facilities are what a community needs to survive. I am not so old that I do not recall getting changed for soccer and Gaelic games in the back of cars. Likewise, I can remember togging out for football games in converted containers with a few planks. We have come a long way. The investment the Department has made in facilities nationwide has added to that. We have reaped the benefits as a country as we have seen improvements in the level of skills and in participation.”
“We must ensure that survivors, those who were let down so gravely by the State, by religious institutions, by schools and by society itself, are at the centre of this process. Their bravery, in coming forward and speaking out, has brought us to this point. We owe them more than words. We owe them our actions. This is one of the most difficult, but necessary, conversations this State must have. In passing this motion, we acknowledge the pain and injustice of the past but we also commit ourselves to a future that is more honest, more just and more compassionate. I commend the motion and I offer my full support to the work going ahead. May this commission bring light and truth, healing to survivors and lasting change to the way we care for and protect our children.”
“I welcome the Government's commitment to begin this work without delay. Survivors have waited long enough. While the complex issue of redress is still under active consideration, this will not prevent the commission from moving forward. Let me also stress that the work of the commission is not simply about the past; it is about our present and our future because if we are serious about protecting children today, we must understand where we failed them yesterday. We must learn from those failures, not only in policy and procedure but also in culture and attitude. We must build a society where safeguarding is not a box-ticking exercise, but a deeply embedded moral obligation where children are believed, transparency is the standard and silence is no longer the shield of the powerful.”
“Many devoted their lives to the care, education and well-being of children in their charge and we must not allow the actions of some to stain the reputations of all. Indeed, many of those who served honourably were as appalled and broken by the silence and inaction as the survivors themselves. At its heart, this commission is not about blame; it is about truth, accountability and healing. It will operate independently, led by Mr. Justice Michael MacGrath. It will have the scope, resources and supports it needs to uncover the facts and make clear evidence-based recommendations. Its work will cover a broad timeline from 1927 to 2013, which is 86 years. Importantly, it will not be limited to schools run by the religious orders. All day and boarding schools are within its remit because safeguarding and justice must not be selective.”
“The commission will look at whether the authorities, be it the Department of education, An Garda Síochána or the health services, acted appropriately or turned away. Crucially, it will listen. The commission will include a dedicated survivor engagement programme designed not as a legal forum but as a space where survivors can speak freely without fear of cross-examination and without the weight of having to prove or defend their pain. Let me say clearly that every survivor who wishes to share their experience will be heard. As we shine a light on these painful truths, we must also be fair and not only in our judgment. It is vital to acknowledge that not every teacher or member of a religious order was complicit in abuse.”
“Survivors were often disbelieved, dismissed and retraumatised by institutions that should have been their source of protection. This commission of investigation is not only about uncovering what happened; it is about understanding how it was allowed to happen and why it was allowed to continue unchecked for so long. The commission will investigate how schools and those associated with them responded to allegations of concern. It will examine whether reports were made and whether known abusers were quietly transferred to other schools or allowed to continue to access children. Even in my own community, I remember being a 13-year-old schoolboy and our teacher being taken out of the classroom by the gardaí on a particular day.”
“Children, some no older than six or seven, were subjected to acts of unspeakable cruelty and physical, emotional and sexual abuse by adults in positions of authority and trust. Teachers, members of religious orders and caretakers, who should have nurtured and safeguarded these children, instead inflicted lifelong trauma. These were not distant or isolated institutions. These were our local schools. They were embedded in every town, village and parish. The abuse that occurred in them has left scars not only on individuals but on entire communities. The silence around that abuse, the shame, the disbelief and the denial spread across generations. Families were torn apart by what was done to their children and by the burden of not being heard.”
“I thank the Minister for coming in today. I suppose we are all considering this motion with a deep sense of responsibility and with a conviction to support it and the establishment of the commission of investigation into the handling of historical child sexual abuse in day and boarding schools. This is a long-overdue recognition that the education system and the institutions that govern it harboured dark and painful truths. It is a moment that demands honesty, empathy and a firm commitment to justice. For too long, what happened in these schools remained hidden behind closed doors, protected by silence, by fear and by systems more concerned with reputations than right and wrong.”
“23 of 2004) has been duly laid before Seanad Éireann on 9th July, 2025 in respect of the foregoing matters referred to, together with a statement of reasons for establishing a Commission under that Act; approves the draft Commission of Investigation (Handling of Historical Child Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools) Order, 2025 and the statement of reasons for establishing a Commission of Investigation.”
“I move: That Seanad Éireann: – having regard to the conclusions and recommendations of the Report of the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools Run by Religious Orders, published on 3rd September, 2024; – noting that it is the opinion of the Government that these matters of significant public concern require, in the public interest, examination by the establishment of a Commission of Investigation; – noting that the Minister for Education and Youth has led the Government's consideration of these sensitive matters; – noting the factual information compiled and the specific matters identified for further consideration in the Report of the Inter-Departmental Group on the Recommendations of the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools Run by Religious Orders, which has assisted in informing Government considerations on the scope, format and terms of reference for a Commission of Investigation; and – further noting that a draft Order proposed to be made by the Government under the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004 (No.”
“Donegal is a beautiful part of the country. I visited a railway museum in Donegal when I was utilising services there and enjoying a summer holiday, but we should not be looking at the railway network as a part of history in Donegal. We should be looking at it as a utility to access and get more people up to that particular area. Senator Blaney is here and I am sure he will mention this as well. We need to be ambitious. We need to look at this long term. I welcome this conversation.”
“It is located in Mayo but we must not lose sight of the fact that Knock airport services Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal and is highly utilised. There has been great investment in the roadways around Knock airport but we need to improve public transport to it, including access by train. That is why I welcome everyone's submission with regard to the western rail corridor. Senator Stephenson mentioned something about a long-term vision and being ambitious. We should not only be looking at Athenry to Claremorris. We should be looking further afield at Athenry to Sligo. We should also be looking at reintegrating the north west into the national rail network, that is, Dublin to Derry and Derry to Letterkenny. If my colleague, Manus Boyle, were here, I am sure Letterkenny is what he would be solely talking about.”
“I have used the service quite regularly since I was appointed to the House and, although I book my ticket, I am not one of these people who will try to move somebody out of the seat, just in case that person is a constituent, so I have often found myself standing in between carriages for a whole journey from Dublin to Castlerea. I believe there are the numbers to justify additional carriages. Senator Duffy spoke about Hollister's investment of €80 million in Ballina. By improving the services and the experience of people using these services, we will continue to attract more investment to our areas. That is one of the matters I wanted to mention. Knock airport has been mentioned. It is expected to have in excess of 900,000 passengers this year. Last year, it had a bumper year of 834,000 passengers.”
“Numerous other Senators, especially from the north west, have been speaking about our rail line, but few have mentioned the rail line from Heuston to Westport and Heuston to Ballina. It is an important service. It is a service that taps into many urban areas along the way that there has been significant investment in. It is a highly utilised service as well. While I echo Senator Cosgrove's call for the catering car to be included on that service again, what I would actually like to see is additional carriages on that service.”
“I welcome the Minister of State, once again, to the Chamber. The Minister of State always seems to come in just before I speak but I thank him for coming in again. In the Minister's opening statement, he mentioned the passenger cap at Dublin Airport. While I was planning to talk about balanced regional investment and the north west, I recall speaking following St. Patrick's weekend to a hotelier here in Dublin whom was I was staying with and asking how busy the hotel was. The turnover was similar due to costs, but footfall was down 25% and the hotelier was blaming that directly on the passenger cap at Dublin Airport. I welcome the Minister's comments that he is addressing that and he hopes to have a solution shortly.”
“I call for a discussion on training but also on sustainability, and supporting that sector in accessing sustainability funding so that it can reduce its carbon footprint and costs. Like every business, this sector is under significant pressure. I would welcome a discussion on that. It is possibly too late for next week, but we could discuss it early in the next term. While I am standing, I also mention the personal injuries guidelines. I compliment the Minister, Deputy Jim O’Callaghan, and the subcommittee on insurance reform. I compliment all the Members of this House who raised this issue in recent weeks and months, especially Senator Linda Nelson Murray. It is great to see that the Minister has listened to the representations and has supported the businesses that this would have a big effect on.”
“I rise today following a meeting yesterday with the Irish Hotels Federation, IHF, which is a representative body that represents more than 900 hotels and guesthouses employing approximately 66,000 people nationally. We in this House are all familiar with their ask with regard to the VAT rate. However, I wish to look a bit further and call for a discussion in this House on how we can support them in training up their staff. There is no training fund for that sector. Many of the institutes have to pay for that out of their own funds. It is a very important sector. We have invested heavily in our tourism sector in this country and we need the IHF to provide the bed nights and the other services to our visitors to make use of and value our investment.”
“The public is not just in favour in that; some 89% believe it is important that the Government continues to invest in keeping our post offices open. This is not a plea for sentimentality. It is a call for sustainability because securing the future of our post office network is directly linked to the sustainability of many rural communities. I had a Commencement matter this morning about promoting remote working. The Department is fully behind building on the infrastructure that the State has already invested in. The post office network is an integral part of tapping into remote working. We have a social responsibility to address this. I welcome the postmasters from Galway, Kerry, Louth, Mayo, Kildare, Westmeath, Waterford, Donegal and Dublin. We will support them as best we can.”
“I refer to a publication by the Irish Postmasters' Union in which Pádraig Mac Namara, a postmaster in Granard, captured it beautifully when he said that the post office is more than just a workplace, it is a vital part of the community. With both banks closed in his town, people turn to him in his post office for everything from bill payments, savings, and cash withdrawals. Many of our most vulnerable citizens still rely on cash to manage their daily finances. His words are a reminder that, behind every counter, there is a person who knows their customers by name, who checks in on their well-being and provides a level of personal service that no app or algorithm can replace. If we want this network to survive, we need long-term Government investment.”