Post offices throughout Ireland which were threatened with closure have been thrown a lifeline with the decision of the Government to follow the example of the UK by ensuring that social welfare payments would continue to be administered through the national post office system.

Welcoming the development Marian Harkin MEP who had called on the government to take that decision, said that retaining the contract was absolutely vital to maintaining post offices especially in rural areas.

“While the EU is committed to the open market and competition, the policy governing the way in which letters, parcels and social payments are delivered requires great care to ensure that cherry picking by private operators does not undermine the prospect of retaining a viable post office network”, she said.

There was an important social dimension to retaining the post office network and this had to be recognised through the implementation of social polices at both national and EU levels, Marian Harkin MEP said.