An Post asked to explain delay in pension payments

SOCIAL Protection
Minister, Joan Burton, has asked An Post to explain why elderly Southsiders who
went to collect their old age pension at a local post office were told they
would have to come back a few days later.

John O’Donovan
(73), who lives in St Finian’s in Lucan, told Southside People how he was told
at the post office in Lucan Village on Saturday, September 3, that they
couldn’t pay him his old age pension entitlement he was due that day.

Mr O’Donovan
claims he was just one of scores of elderly people queuing at the post office
who were left without any cash that weekend.

He said staff at
the branch told him to come back the following Monday. However, when he
returned at 1pm on the Monday (September 5), staff there still couldn’t give
him the payment.

“I went down to
the post office to collect my old age pension on Saturday but they told me to
come back on Monday as they said they didn’t have any money,

? he recalled.

“Then I came back on Monday before 1pm and was told there was still no money
there. The post office is supposed to open at 9am and they still hadn’t any
money by 1pm. That isn’t good enough.

“The person I
was talking to couldn’t give me an answer. I was told to ring the GPO and find
out. I rang at 4pm and eventually I was paid at 4.30pm.

?

He added:

“Nobody
should have to go three times to get a payment that is due to them

?

Mr O’Donovan
explained that he no longer uses ATM machines and is therefore often dependent
on withdrawing cash from his bank branch during the week or from the post
office when he receives his pension payment at weekends.

“Normally I go
into the banks to withdraw cash if I have to but in this instance the banks
were closed. It is very inconvenient for people when the post office has no
money and the banks are closed.

?

Clondalkin Sinn
Fein activist, Eoin O’Broin, described the situation as unacceptable.

“The Department
of Social Welfare and An Post know who is to receive payments and on what day,

?
he said.

“There is simply no excuse for post offices running out of money which
is intended for social welfare and pension payments.

?

A spokesman for
An Post said:

“Due to a heavy volume of business at Lucan Post office on that
Friday, steps were taken to ease the situation by switching some customers to
payment on Monday.

“An Post made
extra cash available at Lucan on Saturday and again on Monday to deal with the
high level of financial transactions. The post office did not run out of cash
but steps were taken to defer some payments to ensure that all payments were
made.

“Measures are
being put in place to ensure that this will not happen again.

?

A spokesman for
the Department of Social Protection quoted Minister Joan Burton as saying:

“I
have requested my department to get a report on the matter from An Post which
is paid a fee to provide this service. Any suggestion that a pensioner was left
waiting is obviously upsetting for the people involved.”