Countryside Alliance Ireland - love the countryside

Countryside Alliance Ireland welcomes the announcement by the government that the Post Office will continue to run the Post Office Card Account which is used by 4.3 million people to collect benefits and pensions in the UK and Northern Ireland.

Countryside Alliance called for a definitive plan from Government on the account's future, and is gratified that Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell has told MP's he would do "nothing to put the network at risk".

Many of our Rural Post Office branches have been closed in Northern Ireland and the network remains on extremely shaky ground, so it is encouraging that the Government is making this supportive move and enabling the Post Office to keep one of its key contracts.

Countryside Alliance Ireland backs our Post Offices as they are the heart of the communities they serve. This lifeline will be met with relief in the countryside. Many isolated and elderly people depend on their local branch not just for their postal services but for support and social interaction. Although the network's future remains a real concern, we are encouraged by the Government having made the right decision.