Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The Third Postal Services Directive provides for the final step in the gradual and controlled opening of the postal services market to competition and ensuring the continuing provision of a universal postal service. Legislation to transpose this Directive has been drafted and, subject to Government approval, I plan to publish the Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill, 2010, in the very near future.

The issues for Ireland arising from the Directive have been widely and comprehensively consulted upon, and as with all legislative proposals, a regulatory impact analysis was conducted. In designing the new regulatory framework, the key principles are the maintenance of a universal postal service and the development of a competitive sector providing competitively priced, high quality postal services to both business and residential customers.

I look forward to the debate on the draft legislation when it is published, and will be working towards having it enacted before the end of the year.