Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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603. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if a hub service is to be provided through the post-office network for persons who have difficulty with accessing online public services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45644/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Our Rural Future, notes the Government's commitment to a sustainable post office network as a component of the economic and social infrastructure in rural and urban areas.  As set out in Our Rural Future, the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications are the lead delivery body for the action within the policy to work with An Post to identify the scope to channel additional services through the post office network.

The most recent Our Rural Future Progress Reports sets out that a subgroup was set up to examine offline services and report to Government on deliberations regarding a one-stop-shop approach to Government services. The Report of the Interdepartmental Subgroup was noted by Government on 31 May 2022 and published by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications in August 2022. The report can be viewed at gov.ie.

There are no plans in my Department currently to incorporate the post office network into any specific hub network. However, officials from my department are always considering new possibilities for collaboration. For example,  my Department is currently working on a Development Strategy for the Broadband Connection Points which will consider the possibility of engaging with public organisations that already have connectivity and possibly bringing them into the network.