Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

I thank Senators for their contributions and welcome the opportunity to respond to their comments and observations. I echo the sentiments and expressions of thanks to postmen and women around the country who go all out to ensure post arrives every day. I grew up in a rural part of south County Dublin and our house was the last on a rural mail route. I remember the postman arriving in all weather conditions by foot, bicycle, car and, occasionally, horse. In Manhattan the main New York City post office has an inscription that "neither snow, nor rain, nor heat nor gloom of night shall stay these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds". That is the unofficial motto of the US Postal Service. We do not need such a motto; we simply pay tribute to the postmen and women who work tirelessly to deliver mail in all weather conditions.

The Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill marks an important milestone for the postal sector. As my colleague outlined, it represents a pragmatic approach to the liberalisation of the sector, a process that began 20 years ago. It sets out the high level principles underpinning the regulatory framework and strikes a balance between ensuring the provision of the universal service, enabling the development of competition and putting in place provisions around consumer protection. That the sector is facing challenges can be acknowledged and all operators will need to focus on consumers' needs to remain relevant and be the service provider of choice for the future. The aim is for the individual consumer, the business sector and the wider economy to benefit from increased competition and a broader range of services.

I thank all Senators for their contributions and the many interesting points made. The Bill aims to balance continuity of basic postal services with new and innovative services. Universal service will continue if An Post can demonstrate to the regulator that it represents a cost, but the Bill provides for a funding dimension. It sets out first principles; detailed implementation is the job of the regulator. In doing its job ComReg is accountable to the Oireachtas and the Bill will provide for an appeals mechanism for those affected by ComReg's decisions.

The Government is fully committed to employment protection; there is already a significant body of legislation protecting employment rights. The uniform tariff will remain, but if it is to be changed, the consent of the relevant Minister must be obtained.

The Bill does not deal with the post office network. Under the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983, An Post is obliged to provide nationwide counter services and that will continue.

I thank Senators Quinn and Ó Brolcháin, among others, for the points made on the Bill and the issue of competition. Competition and liberalisation have been long signalled and the Bill puts in place the framework to manage the final step in the process to ensure competition emerges in a controlled and fair manner. The emergence of competition can bring monetary benefits, among many others, and increases the focus on innovation and meeting the needs of all users. At its centre, the Bill envisages and provides for a strong and vibrant An Post that will play a central role in the development of the sector. The designation of An Post recognises its important role and ensures, side by side with competition, universal service in both urban and rural areas.

Post codes will play an important role in developing the sector, not just in developing postal services but also in developing and providing for the improvement of many other services. One day last summer, I spent three quarters of an hour on a side road in Kerry awaiting the arrival of an ambulance for a small child. In order to provide certainty in such a situation, the neighbours must be sent out on the road to make sure the ambulance can find the house, and much other information must be provided to make sure the emergency services arrive. Postal codes bring benefits not only for the postal service but also for the emergency services. I experienced that at first hand last summer. This will assist Ireland in developing an information-based society. It is happening anyway; private operators of GPS systems have already provided postcodes, and it makes sense to continue their development. This ties into many other aspects of special infrastructure that will be established by the end of next year. In practical terms, it will enable us to encode CSO data to provide far more meaningful statistical information on a local level.

The prior information notice has been issued by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, and I assure Senator McCarthy that value for money is at the centre of all procurement processes. As for the accountability of the independent regulator, the directive provides that all member states designate a regulator independent of postal operators. The Communications Regulation Act 2002 provides that ComReg is accountable to the Oireachtas, and this will continue into the future.

I thank the Senators for their contributions and their interest in the Bill. I note that many Senators brought to the debate their first-hand experience of the great work the existing postal service does and will continue to do. I welcome the support of the House for the Bill and look forward to its early consideration on Committee and Report Stages with the overall objective of bringing it to the Statute Book as soon as possible.