Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 July 2022
241. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the input his Department has had in the framing of the national development plan in relation to ensuring the viability of the rural post office network; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37706/22]
View answerMy officials were involved in a strategic dialogue with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to agree the new five-year capital allocation and a 10-year capital ceiling to 2030 for the revised National Development Plan which will enable the Department to deliver its vision of a climate neutral, sustainable and digitally connected Ireland. 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. Government recently agreed that an amount of €10 million/annum will be provided from within the existing capital provision of my Department over a three-year fixed term 2023–2025 to An Post to support a sustainable, nationwide post office network in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government. This aims to ensure access to important services of social value across the Post Office network and that there is a network of sufficient scale in place for the public to access these services across the country.
The funding is subject to State Aid clearance being received and funds being dispersed in accordance with a methodology to be agreed with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
This is the first time Government has agreed to introduce such a package. The funding will aim to ensure access for all our communities to important services of social value across the Post Office network. These include banking services, social welfare and State savings as well as SME services and support. It will also seek to support a network of sufficient scale across the country; with currently around 900 Post Offices providing these essential services nationwide.
This intervention by Government will provide certainty for Postmasters, their families and their communities in terms of any business decisions Postmasters need to make about their future. The funding will afford An Post more time to develop new commercial strategies and services that can support the viability of the network. The Transformation Agreement reached between An Post and the IPU in 2018 will continue be implemented and this proposal is without prejudice to the terms of that agreement.
