Elderly and disabled will still get postal service in Ireland

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.