Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

They have said to me this Bill will not threaten them and, if formulated properly, will enhance the role of An Post.

In preparing for this Bill, we must be honest about the fact that we are living in a different era in which competition is welcome. However, I question genuinely whether we need competition in our postal service. We have a small peripheral nation on the edge of Europe with a population of approximately 4 million. I am not sure we need competition. We have moved away from our traditional form of communication. When moving office after the general election, I found bags and boxes of paper. We did not need it. I was recently at home with my father and found boxes of letters that I received from my mother, family and friends when I was studying in Maynooth in 1984. Today that means of communication has been replaced by the e-mail, text, Skype and other technologies. We live in a challenging, changing world and must not stand still. The stance of some of the Members opposite, who are behaving like the town crier who objects to everything and is for nothing, gets us nowhere.

This Bill must be about the protection of the service user and the employees of An Post. The Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, stated one of the strengths of An Post is its workers. As I stated in the Seanad, postmen in rural and urban areas comprise the strength of the service given. I include the postal worker. The user must be central, be it in respect of the cost or the delivery time of mail.

It must be recognised that some people have not moved towards other forms of communication. The number of people who use traditional mail has declined. There is a big gulf in terms of usage on the part of the business consumer and private consumer. We have not yet debated this. We should have this debate on Committee Stage.

I share the concern that the urban-rural divide will feature. There is genuine concern over cherry-picking. In the Acting Chairman's constituency, Dublin South, it is very easy to run a service, but it is a much different position in parts of my constituency of Cork South-Central, such as Minane Bridge, and other parts of rural Ireland. We must have a proper debate on this on Committee Stage to tease out all the facts.

Irrespective of whether one lives in a rural or urban area, be it in Mayo, Cork or Dublin, one demands a service characterised by its excellence. It is important that we debate this. I am confident that the market, when it opens, will have the same level of service for all.

I acknowledge the economic climate has changed and that An Post is under pressure. Tá sé faoi bhrú. Competition will improve the service and quality thereof. After the liberalisation of the postal service, we as legislators are required to iron out the flaws in the legislation and work with and consult the stakeholders in this area.

I welcome the fact that the protection of the universal service obligation is in the programme for Government. I very much welcome the commitment made in this regard by the Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, in respect of the workers and integrity and cost of the service.

While I welcome this Bill, that does not necessarily mean it is perfect. Our job is not to come in here with vested interests or advocate on behalf of a certain section but to consider how best we can make the Bill work for all involved. Despite the reservations being expressed by many in this Chamber and the Seanad – the former Minister, Mr. Ryan, accepted some of the amendments and the current Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, has committed to examining the legislation – the opening up of the postal service to competition could be positive if managed properly. Those Members opposite who oppose the legislation should look at their ideology, dogma and addiction to opposition for its own sake and embrace change, listen and be open to the idea that this could work.

See this speech in context