Elderly
and disabled will still get postal service
By
Mary Dundon
The
Irish Examiner,
January 8, 2003
AN Post insisted yesterday that the elderly and
disabled will continue to get mail delivered to their door — even
if the outdoor letter boxes are introduced.
This follows
revelations the company plans to end door-to door deliveries
countrywide and bring in secure outdoor letter boxes that could save
it up to €35 million a year.
The State group
which is in financial crisis, has issued a tender for 500,000 letter
boxes with locks and plans to begin deploying them by June.
But both Fine
Gael and Labour called on the Government yesterday to have the plan
scrapped as it will be a severe blow to the elderly, the disabled
and the sick.
Fine Gael's
Community and Rural Affairs spokesman Fergus O'Dowd said an end to
door-to-door deliveries would lead to increased isolation of people
whose only regular contact is often their postman.
And Labour's
Community and Rural Affairs spokesman Brian O'Shea called on the
Government to put sufficient resources in place to maintain doorstep
deliveries especially for the elderly and the disabled.
Galway woman Emer
Colcannon, who lives in the small rural community of Aughmora
outside Tuam, said the move would have a severe impact on old people
as many of them will not be able to collect their post.
But An Post
insisted the outdoor letter box system would not deal a severe blow
to rural Ireland.
"An Post
will continue to provide door-to-door service to elderly, disabled
and any sick person who wants it all they will have to do is fill in
an application form," their spokesman said.
"As a
commercial State company we have a mandate to return a profit every
year and delivering post door-to door is our most expensive
cost," the spokesman said.
Meanwhile, Rural
Affairs Minister Eamon Ó 'Cuív said it would be a tragedy if
people from rural areas had to travel long distances to collect
their mail.
|