11. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport for an update on the funding agreed by Government for the post office network in January 2026; if the funding has been made available to An Post; the projects and services the funding will be allocated to; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33216/26]

Sentiment score: 0.10

Ba mhian liom ceist a chur ar an Aire Stáit uasdátú a thabhairt ar mhaoiniú a d’fhógair an Rialtas do líonra Oifig an Phoist i mí Eanáir. I ask the Minister of State for an update on the €15 million agreed by Government for the post office network in January, if the funding has been made available to An Post, and what projects and services the funding will be allocated to.

Sentiment score: 0.14

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.

Sentiment score: 0.34

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.

Sentiment score: 0.76