Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)

I am disappointed with the Minister of State's response. We do not believe there is sufficient protection in the legislation to provide for a level playing pitch. The legislation is too ambiguous and open to different interpretations. There is also too much of an assumption underlying this legislation that An Post, while it will expand and take on new roles and services and so on, will discover a crock of gold or new business model at the end of the rainbow. As eloquently put by Senator O'Toole, we are anxious to preserve jobs and a level playing pitch. We accept the directive and have been particularly constructive in our approach to it because we accept the legal requirement to implement it. It is a shocking state of affairs, however, if in this process we throw out the baby with the bath water, which is effectively what we are doing.

I ask the Minister of State to reconsider and accept the amendment. If not, we will have to press it. The legislation in this regard is unacceptable, in particular to the workers. There is too much at stake. We have put too much into An Post as a national enterprise, in terms of taxpayers' money and human effort, to throw it to the winds. It is bad practice.