Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 233, Standing Order 187 is modified to provide that it be an instruction to the Committee to which the Communications Regulation Bill 2022 may be recommitted in respect of certain amendments that it has the power to make amendments to the Bill which are not relevant to the general subject matter, to amend the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983 to provide for payments to be made to An Post to support the post office network and to enable funding granted under the EU Brexit Adjustment Reserve to be transferred to An Post.

I move that, pursuant to Standing Order 233, Standing Order 187 is modified to provide that it be an instruction to the committee to which the Communications Regulation Bill 2022 may be recommitted in respect of certain amendments that it has the power to make amendments to the Bill which are outside the scope of the existing provisions. This is to enable funding to be made available for the purposes of maintaining the post office network and to counter the consequences upon An Post of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, to change the Title of the Bill and make other consequential amendments required to take accounts of the changes above. The purpose of this motion is to instruct the Dáil in committee that Standing Order 233(2) is modified to provide that the committee has the power to make amendments to the Communications Regulation Bill 2022 which are outside the existing subject matter of the Bill. This is required so that I can introduce Government amendments to the Bill on Report Stage.

Deputies may recall that on Second Stage, on 5 October, I noted the possibility that the Government would bring forward a short amendment to the Postal and Telecommunications Act 1983 to provide for payments to be made to or via An Post, particularly in the context of support to postmasters. I also referenced this on Committee Stage on 26 October. As indicated, the proposed amendments would provide a legal base for the provision of funding from the Minister to the post office network and An Post, specifically the provision of €10 million per annum to the post office network over a three-year period from 2023 to 2025 to support a sustainable nationwide post office network and the transfer of funding granted under the EU Brexit Adjustment Reserve from the Minister to An Post as compensation for the impact of Brexit on the company.

The context for the provision of funding to the post office network is the Government decision of 31 May 2022, which stated that €10 million per annum will be provided to the post office network over a three-year period, a fixed-term from 2023 to 2025, to support a sustainable nationwide post office network in line with the commitment to the Programme for Government. This funding aims to ensure access to important socially-valuable services across the post office network and that there is a network of sufficient scale in place for the public to access these services across the country. This intervention will support the existing network of approximately 900 post offices and will provide the necessary time for new commercial initiatives and services to develop. It brings sustainability and certainty for postmasters and addresses concerns around potential reduction in accessibility to services.

The EU's Brexit Adjustment Reserve aims to provide support to counter the adverse consequences of the withdrawal of the UK from the EU. An Post has successfully submitted an application via the Department for funding relating to the management of the EU customs and VAT requirements applying to all An Post UK traffic following the withdrawal of the UK from the EU. This important change in international trade has had a significant negative impact on the postal sector in Ireland.

Brexit also coincided with long-planned extensive changes to EU customs regulations governing goods entering and leaving the EU. All traffic from the UK was previously categorised as intra-EU and became non-EU and subject to customs-related obligations, which directly impacted An Post operationally and commercially. The proposed amendment is required to provide a legal basis for the funding granted under the EU regulation to be directed from the Minister to An Post as compensation for the impact of Brexit on the company. The specific terms and conditions under which funding is to be provided to the post office network, under subsection (1), and An Post, under subsection (2), remain subject to the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. I look forward to our debate on the motion and I will do my best to respond to any specific questions.

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