Cathal Byrne (Fine Gael)

My family is very much connected to the post office network. My grandfather - my mother's father - served as a postman virtually all his working life delivering post in north-west Cork. He speaks fondly of his time there. I remember the pride of place his certificate of recognition of long service held in my grandparents' home. I know he certainly left a very strong mark on his local community, serving as its local postman.

I acknowledge the investment of €15 million per year committed to the post office network by the Government and how important and vital that contribution is. I acknowledge the work of Deputy Carrigy in highlighting this issue over the past number of years given his background as a local postmaster. I also want to call out the contribution from Sinn Féin. We heard the Senator speak for a considerable length of time but never acknowledge the fact that the €15 million, which was requested and successfully lobbied for by the Irish Postmasters' Union, has been provided by the Government for the post office network. It is important that when the Government invests money like that at the request of the local postmasters, it is acknowledged. It is disappointing that Sinn Féin could not bring themselves to do that today, having called for this funding to be made available in a previous debate we had in this Chamber.

I recognise the fact that we have 933 separate branches of An Post. It is important that when we reflect on where the post office network is going, it is not too long ago that the idea of somebody purchasing something online and getting it delivered to their door was alien to everybody across the country, but society is changing and the times are changing, and the post office network will change with them. What will not change is the fact that it is rooted in the local communities and that local people right across the country feel very connected to the post office network and to the postmen and postwomen who make it up.