I thank Deputy Ó Cearúil for his question and his ongoing advocacy on behalf of the post office network and its importance for local communities.

The post office network is a key component of the economic and social infrastructure throughout the country. On the back of that, 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. In that regard, on 13 January 2026, the Government approved renewed funding for the post office network for the next five years, running from 2026 to 2030, at an enhanced amount of €15 million per annum from my Department. That has increased from €10 million per annum.

In line with the programme for Government, the funding will support the stability and sustainability of the nationwide network of post offices, protecting and nurturing a commercially focused post office network. It will also support access for citizens to the key social benefits of the post office network and help citizens access services effectively and equitably.

The Government also agreed the principles on which the funding model will operate, which include maintaining access to the network across urban and rural Ireland, aligning individual funding with criteria, including the degree of isolation and the sustainability of each post office, ensuring a minimum revenue threshold for post offices, and recognising offices of cultural or geographic significance, such as those on inhabited islands or in Gaeltacht areas.

My Department is progressing the necessary legislation to place this funding on an appropriate statutory footing. I will shortly prepare a memo to bring to Government to publish the legislation which has been drafted in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General. As matters stand, that funding is being provided from the start of this year by An Post to the post offices. Once the legislation is passed by this House, we will reimburse An Post and provide that funding for this year.

Decisions relating to the network, including decisions relating to specific post offices, are always operational matters for the board of An Post and the management of the company.

The Minister of State and I agree the post office network and post offices, particularly in rural Ireland, are vital community infrastructure. I pay tribute to the Irish Postmasters Union for the work it is doing on behalf of the postmasters throughout the country and our party colleague, Councillor Tom O'Callaghan, for his advocacy as well. I appreciate the €15 million that has been allocated. However, the question that still remains for a lot of the postmasters is when the funding will reach the network so that they actually see it. I appreciate that the Minister of State said it has already been allocated but a lot of the postmasters have not seen any of it yet.

Furthermore, what specific improvements or protections will the funding support? Part of that is looking at extending the post office network into other areas, such as click and collect, and making the business more commercially viable, operating in the heart of a community and delivering services that would not be available if it were not for An Post.

My understanding is that, since the start of the year, the funding is being paid from An Post to postmasters. If there are any particular instances where that is not the case, I will be happy to have them followed up. That is my understanding of the situation based on the briefing I have received on it. An Post is due to get €15 million, which is an increase from €10 million last year. This requires short legislation going through the Houses. Our objective is to have that completed by the summer. Once that legislation has been facilitated, we can make the €15 million payment for this year to An Post. This will cover the funding the company has already given post offices since the start of the year and the funding that is required to carry post offices through to the end of the year and, going forward, to 2030.

It would also be beneficial to have annual reporting on that €15 million to ensure there is transparency as regards where and how it is being spent. That would be extremely helpful in order to get a better understanding and ensuring value for money for the additional funding the Government is providing to the post office network.

There was very strong engagement between the Irish Postmasters Union and An Post in relation to agreeing the criteria for how the funding will be distributed. An agreement on its distribution, including the criteria around that for each of the five years, has been finalised and is now in place for postmasters. That Government commitment, under which we have increased our funding to the post office network by 50% since last year and increased certainty around the future of that funding by putting in place a five-year agreement as opposed to the three-year agreement it is replacing, has been very much welcomed by postmasters throughout the country and the Irish Postmasters Union. It reflects the commitment of everyone in the House, including the Deputy and I and, in particular, the Government, to supporting the post office network. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and for his ongoing advocacy on behalf of the post office network and of its importance to local communities.