Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

The Senator is right to say An Post has played an important social role in Irish life. I accept and acknowledge that the role of the postman, in particular, is much valued in rural Ireland. Some of the decisions I have taken in amending the Bill are designed to protect that role as best I can. An Post is a commercial State company. I had hoped Senator Quinn might be present as he was chairman of An Post at one stage. I would say he has some interesting thoughts on An Post as it was then and as it is now. As it is a commercial State company, it has to have regard to doing things efficiently and well. I heard lots of stories in the Dáil about the postman who buys messages and takes them home to the widow woman, or cycles up the hill to perform all kinds of roles - as a social worker and all the rest. Deputy Ó Cuív, in particular, took us "up the airy mountain, down the rushy glen" many times. At the end of the day, the postman is neither a social a worker nor a shopper for the local community. While this is not to say that a tradition valued in rural Ireland should not continue, An Post is a commercial entity and must survive in that environment.

Some Senators do not accept my point about the directive and the role of the regulator in circumstances where a country's postal provider is still in state hands. Under Article 22 of the directive, there must be a separation between the regulator and the Minister where ownership of the provider remains in State hands. I have no freedom where the effective structural separation of regulatory functions is required by the directive.

To be honest, we were unfair in the Dáil and should not be unfair here to the role of the Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg. It is not the purpose or role of the regulator to put the postal service in rural Ireland out of commission or to end it as we have known it. Since coming into existence, not a single decision of the regulator has suggested it is minded to take such a view. I must have regard to Article 22. It is the overriding interest.