Meals-on-wheels could soon be delivered with the help of An Post.
Minister of State for Older People, Jim Daly, has approached the postal service about the prospect of using their delivery network, which provides items to more than two million addresses on a daily basis.
Under the proposal, prescriptions, groceries and bottled water would also be included.
Deputy Daly says there are many people that would greatly benefit from the service.
He said: "The real winners of this scheme materialising would be people who are in rural Ireland living on their own, vulnerable often elderly people.
"They could have a daily service and a postman would be delivering more than just bills to the householder. That they could be delivering essential supplies are indeed very welcome additions to their day, such as meals-on-wheels."
Extending the services An Post provides would also help sustain the network, which could see the closure of 100 post offices this year.
With a hosepipe ban expected to remain in place until October in the east and south of the country, Department of Health officials have met with An Post to utilise its valuable network of postmen and postwomen who are often aware of people most in need.
Mr Daly said: “We must realise that we have a world-class network of a daily delivery service to every household in Ireland but we as consumers are not choosing to post our correspondence as often as we used to.”
A spokesperson for An Post said: “We’ll certainly help out if called upon to provide fresh bottled water to residents, alongside their mail, in areas affected by water shortages.”
- Digital Desk and Irish Examiner
