Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. I appreciate that the Minister's Department is considering the Grant Thornton report, but we need to do more in the current climate, given the crisis we are experiencing now. This is an important issue, as acknowledged by the Minister. The post office is a vital service in many towns and communities throughout the country, particularly in rural areas. As the Minister has mentioned, during the Covid-19 lockdown the post office assumed the role of a social contact and provided a reassuring knock on the door for many people, especially our elderly and vulnerable.

The post office is at a critical juncture. During the Covid-19 pandemic, its transactions are estimated to have decreased by approximately 25%. I acknowledge that it is a long-standing Government policy that postal services will not be directly subsidised by the Government. However, we find ourselves in unprecedented times. In 2017, the Minister for Finance provided a loan of €30 million to the company to support the renewal of the post office network and its continued fulfilment of a five-day mail service. Can the Minister consider a further loan to make up for the existing deficit?

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