Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)

Ireland has participated fully in the debate on the liberalisation of postal services in Europe, not only in the last six months but for a longer period. The deadline of 1 January 2009 for the final liberalisation of those services has been in the public domain for a considerable period, before I became Minister. In the course of the labour relations difficulties at An Post a year ago and in the 12 months previous to that, I put it to those involved on more than one occasion, both unions and management, that liberalisation was hurtling down the track at a rate of knots and that we did not have time for the type of argy-bargy that had gone on for the previous 12 to 18 months. A year later, there is cause to be hopeful those industrial relations difficulties are behind us and that both unions and management can work together effectively. While those labour relations issues were being mediated through conciliation sessions and various triumvirates, I put it to both sides more than once that it would be better to focus on the future rather than the past. That remains the case.

It is a matter for An Post, both management and unions, rather than the Minister of the day to decide how the company will meet the challenges it faces. My job is to ensure, in the context of the discussions on the directive, that our postal services are capable of meeting those challenges. The Deputy asked me specifically how the universal service obligation might be maintained. There are several ways of doing this, one of which is the provision of reserved postal services areas. There is the possibility of a levy on all operators in the country to subsidise the less economically viable areas. Several options are being considered.

I do not believe the Fortis deal is in any danger. It will ultimately be of benefit to the post office network and the postmasters themselves. Discussions are ongoing between the latter and An Post management to reach agreement in this regard. This issue relates to contract staff and is not a case of negotiations between trade unions and management. I have spoken to both sides on the outstanding issues and am hopeful a resolution can be found quickly. It is a matter for the management and the Irish Postmasters Union, IPU.

The question of the optimum size of the post office network is an issue that has been discussed before. It is for An Post to make a decision in this regard as it is part of the mandate it is obliged to deliver. The IPU has clearly indicated its view that there are too many post offices. The document produced by Farrell Grant Sparks indicated the IPU's acceptance of this and its — not unreasonable — assertion that if staff are to leave the service, they should receive greater compensation than is currently the case.

In regard to security, I understand An Post has engaged with the appropriate authorities and taken advice on improving security provisions not only in recent weeks but in the course of the last 12 months.

See this speech in context