Joanne Collins (Sinn Fein)

I am sharing time with Senators Tully and Andrews. I will take four minutes and they will take three each. I welcome the Minister of State. I welcome the opportunity to speak today on an issue that goes to the very core of Irish communities: the future of our post office network. As has already been said, over the past ten years 257 post offices have closed across the country. That is a shocking figure. Behind that statistic, there are 257 communities, both rural and urban, that have lost a vital public service, a trusted institution and, for many, the last tangible expression of the State in their daily lives.

The figures are stark. Cork has seen the largest number of closures, a total of 34 including 22 in rural areas. Galway has lost 21 rural post offices, Dublin has lost 21 and Donegal 19. The list goes on. My own county of Limerick has lost 12. These closures affect not only the delivery of services, but the cohesion and well-being of entire communities. Let us be clear; the local post office is not just a place to send parcels or to buy a stamp. It is where people collect their pensions, access social welfare, use banking services and stay connected to Government Departments. For many people, particularly older people and those in remote areas, it is also a place of routine and of human contact. It reduces isolation, fosters connection and provides security not in an abstract way, but in a real, human, day-to-day sense. These post offices are not just businesses; they are public services and must be supported as such.

Despite this, we are watching the system unravel before our eyes. Just last month, postmasters warned that 40% of post offices could close unless the Government steps up with meaningful investment. The contract model is not fit for purpose. Long-serving postmasters are retiring but new entrants are not coming forward. We are at a tipping point. If we do not act now, the network will continue to shrink. With each of these closures, a little more of rural and local Ireland disappears. The damage to social cohesion, local economies and community identity will be profound and long-lasting.

The State has failed to grasp the urgency of the situation and communities are paying the price. That is why we in Sinn Féin have consistently called for a new approach. We are calling for a public service mandate for the post office network, to be backed by sustainable funding, strategic investment to ensure long-term viability, a modernised contract model that recognises the real value postmasters bring to their communities and a vision to expand services rather than stripping them away.

I commend the Irish Postmasters' Union president, Sean Martin, and its secretary general, Sandra Tormey, on their advocacy and leadership. We know the consequences of inaction. What we need now is political will. Those in the Government cannot continue to ignore the crisis in our post office network. Every time a post office closes, the State becomes more distant and abstract and people feel it. They feel forgotten and communities slowly become invisible. We have the chance to do something different, to choose community over cuts, to choose investment over neglect and to put public service and social cohesion at the heart of our national priorities. Let us not let another 257 post offices close. Let us protect what is left and build a stronger and more connected future for our communities.