Mary White (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)

Let me reassure Senators that the Government is committed to as large a post office network as is economically possible. However, it is not proposed to accept these amendments.

In respect of amendment No. 5, the opening, closing or maintenance of postal infrastructure, such as post offices, are commercial matters for the management of the postal service provider concerned. The provision of post offices is not affected by the directive and the requirement to open postal services to competition. An Post's responsibility, pursuant to the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983, to provide counter services for the company's own and Government business is not being amended by the Bill. The vast majority of post offices are operated by postmasters under commercial contracts with An Post. The closure of individual post offices is a contractual matter between An Post and the individual postmaster in question. Post offices are only closed when An Post has been unsuccessful in recruiting a postmaster to fill a particular vacancy.

It is not proposed to accept amendment No. 6, which relates to the closure of a post box or similar access point. In respect of a designated universal service provider, section 16(10) of the Bill provides that ComReg may, following a public consultation process, direct such a provider for the purpose of ensuring that the density of access points and the provision of points of contact for users with the universal postal service provider, take account of the reasonable needs of postal service users. ComReg already has this direction making power under the current regulations and section 16 (10) restates this in primary legislation.

For commercial postal service providers other than the designated universal postal service provider, establishing or removing access points to their networks are purely commercial decisions.