David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have watched many post offices in my constituency close. Invariably, when they close, it causes a major problem in the locality, particularly in towns and villages. Sometimes the heat is on for a few weeks, but then, obviously, it dissipates. However, people have lost the service and that presents a difficulty, particularly for many older people. We have discussions about how many post offices we have, how many were closed and so on. Has there been a mapping exercise to assess how many are needed in the State to provide necessary services? That should be the starting point. There should be a proper mapping exercise to assess the service provided and how many post offices are needed to ensure those post offices are viable by providing them with State services at the level that is necessary or whatever other services they need to make them viable. Has that exercise been carried out by An Post? What is the number in that regard?