Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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36. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his views on whether the existing post office network is viable; and his plans to increase State funding to the service or to engage with representatives from the sector to discuss their ongoing concerns. [42284/20]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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37. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of the implementation of an action plan to ensure the sustainability of the existing post office network; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42285/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 36 and 37 together.

I am aware of the importance of maintaining a post office network in our society.  However I also know that the serious decline in mail volumes and the impact of Covid-19 on footfall through post offices has had a severe impact on the postal network and the revenue being generated for postmasters. I have met with representatives of the Irish Postmasters Union (IPU) on a number of occasions to discuss the matters raised in the  Grant Thornton report which was commissioned by the IPU.

A lot of work has been done over the past few years to develop the network and this has had a positive effect for both postmasters and customers. This momentum needs to be maintained and if An Post, the postmasters and Government work together we can ensure that the network can emerge as a central hub for a wide variety of valuable community-focused services.

Government believes An Post has untapped potential to do more and make a further significant contribution across many areas of public, business and community life in Ireland.  What we are doing now is working with An Post  to investigate the scope to channel additional services through the network.  As with any business the post office needs to develop commercial strategies to enable it to grow and maintain its relevance for its users. All options will be considered fully and efforts will be redoubled to give effect to our commitment to ensuring a sustainable and viable post office network.

In the circumstances, there are no proposals to introduce a Government funded subsidy for the post office network.