Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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265. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the responsibilities he has for An Post; if these include the future of the post office network and the rural network in particular; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21560/16]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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As Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, I have overall responsibility for the postal sector, including governance of An Post to ensure the company is fully compliant with the  Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies and  the governance functions included in the statutory framework underpinning An Post.

Operational matters and the role of developing commercial strategies for the post office network are a matter for the Board and management of An Post and not one in which I have a statutory function. As shareholder, however, I have a strong concern in relation to the ongoing commercial position of the Company and therefore liaise with the Company in this regard.

It is Government policy that An Post remains a strong, viable company in a position to provide a high quality postal service and maintain a national network of customer focused post offices in the community. The post office network plays an important role in serving the needs of business and domestic customers alike. However, the postal sector is undergoing systemic change, with migration towards electronic communications resulting in core mail volume decline year on year.

In recognition of the changing commercial environment, my predecessor established the Post Office Network Business Development Group last year, the remit of which was to examine the potential from existing and new Government and commercial business that could be transacted through the post office network. Mr. Bobby Kerr was appointed as the independent chairman of the group and he brought a depth of knowledge and experience in identifying and developing business opportunities for the post office network.

The final report of the group, which was published in January of this year, sets out 23 recommendations with network renewal, a basic payment account and motor tax being the three key actions. The final report recommended that An Post should, following appropriate consultation with postmasters and others, review and amend the five-year strategy for the post office network.

The Programme for Government commits to acting on all of the recommendations of the final report. Responsibility for implementation of the recommendations in the Final Report has transferred  to the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural  and  Gaeltacht Affairs. In this regard experienced senior officials from my Department, who have knowledge of the Report and its recommendations, have moved to that Department to work on the implementation of the various recommendations.