Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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351. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment further to Parliamentary Question No. 420 of 1 July 2025, if his Department intends to renew the current three-year funding arrangement for post offices which is set to end in December 2025, to detail his Department’s plans to support small and medium-sized post offices following the conclusion of this arrangement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40272/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to a sustainable An Post, and the 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. To date a sum of €25 million has been claimed by An Post for the period 2023 to end June 2025 to support 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.