Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 182: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his preferred options for the provision of a next day delivery postal service throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23283/07]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The universal service obligation, enshrined in European and Irish law, provides that each Member State is obliged to provide a postal service whereby the minimum level of service that must be provided is a clearance and delivery every working day to the home or premises of every person. Under Irish regulations, An Post is designated as the Universal Service provider. There are no plans to change this.

Liberalisation of the mail market in Ireland has already commenced and the Council of the European Union recently agreed that the postal sector should fully liberalise and be fully open to competition by 1 January 2011. The development of the postal market requires the availability of competitive, high quality products. The current level of market opening has introduced new players with offerings that meet consumer needs and further market opening will provide further opportunities for new and existing players. The development of further competition allied with a modernised and customer-focussed An Post will provide the basis for the further development of the postal sector.