Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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696. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he is aware that many rural and urban postmasters are reporting that their post offices are under threat of closure due to inadequate funding (details supplied); if he will assure postmasters that he will agree to their union’s demands for increased funding to secure the future of post offices and the employees who work in them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30168/25]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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697. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he is aware of the volume of postmaster’s struggling to keep post offices open due to lack of funding; if any action is being considered or is underway in order to sustain the An Post network given the funding issues present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30686/25]

Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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720. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will provide an update on the Programme for Government commitment to support the sustainability of post offices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30207/25]

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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725. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will provide assistance to post offices which are financially struggling; if he will examine a case (details supplied) where a postmaster is in financial difficulty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30512/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 696, 697, 720 and 725 together.

The Government is committed to a sustainable An Post and post office network as a key component of the economic and social infrastructure throughout Ireland. The Programme for Government states that the Government will continue to provide the nationwide network of post offices with funding to ensure their sustainability and enhance the value they bring to local communities. My Department is working to deliver on this and is engaging with relevant stakeholders in relation to the funding. Additionally, my Department is working with Government colleagues to secure future funding in line with the Programme for Government.

An amount of €10 million/annum is currently being provided over a three-year fixed term (2023-2025) to An Post. An Post then disperses this funding across the post office network, with all contractor post offices benefitting from the Government funding with the objective of securing the stability of the Network. The funding is being paid monthly for each 12-month period. There has been over €23 million claimed by An Post for the period 2023 to end April 2025 for the network.

It should be noted that An Post is a commercial State body with a mandate to act commercially. An Post has statutory responsibility for the State's postal service and the post office network. Decisions relating to the network, including decisions relating to specific post offices are operational matters for the Board and management of the company and not one in which I, as Minister, have any function. The terms under which Postmasters contract with An Post is a matter between the Postmasters and An Post and any negotiations are a matter for both parties directly.