Communications Minister Denis Naughten will appear before a meeting of the Communications, Climate Action and Environment Committee today to answer questions about a deal that will lead to the closure of 160 rural post offices.
The restructuring plan, which was worked out between An Post and the Irish Postmasters' Union, has been criticised over its likely impact on rural communities.
In addition to the Minister's presence, today's meeting will be attended by representatives from An Post, the Post Office Networks, the An Post Mailing Centres, and the Public Banking Forum of Ireland.
"We'll be asking An Post to explain the rationale behind the proposed closures of these post offices throughout the country and to outline the model that they are striving towards in order to modernise the post office network and ensure it is sustainable into the future," said Chair of the Committee, Fine Gael TD Hildegarde Naughton.
Independent TD Mattie McGrath of the Oireachtas Rural Independent Group is unhappy with the involvement of the Irish Postmasters' Union (IPU) and is determined to tell the Communications Minister what he thinks of the plan.
"I want to tell him that it's a rotten, stinking deal," he said.
"For them to negotiate, the IPU, this abandonment of post office services for rural villages, it's totally beyond their remit.
"It's dirty, it's sneaky and it has to be reversed."
Here are the locations of the closing post offices:
Digital Desk
