Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 544: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans for the development of the postal service with particular reference to the delivery of other services compatible with those already provided by An Post; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3842/10]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The Government's core policy goal for the postal sector is to ensure that Irish customers, both business and residential, enjoy competitively priced, high quality postal services. Legislation is currently being drafted in my Department to transpose the third Postal Services Directive which mandates opening the postal market to full competition from 1 January, 2011 and provides for a regulatory framework for a liberalised postal market. I expect to publish this Bill towards the middle of the year.

In designing this new regulatory framework, the key principles are the maintenance of universal postal services and the provision of competitively priced high quality postal services to both business and residential customers.

However, decisions regarding new products and services are a matter for postal service providers themselves and not one in which I have a direct role.