Vol. 419 No. 10
5 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Tourism, Transport and Communications if she will outline the information available to her Department on the likely content of the EC Green Paper on the Postal Services; if she will further outline the implications for An Post; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
The European Commission adopted its Green Paper on the development of the Single Market for Postal Services on 13 May 1992. The Green Paper is a discussion document, the purpose of which is to stimulate an in-depth discussion with Governments, users, operators, employees and other interests in order to shape policies to ensure that all customers throughout the Community receive efficient, high quality postal services at affordable prices. Following a consultation period, the Commission will draw up definite conclusions and propose any necessary action.
The Green Paper envisages, inter alia, the establishment of a set of reserved, i.e. monopoly, postal services, the basing of postal tariffs and inter-administration compensation payments on costs, the separation of regulatory and operational functions, the setting of service performance standards and harmonisation of certain aspects of the postal service.
The Green Paper also envisages the possible liberalisation of certain areas of the letter mail service. These aspects will need to be considered in depth, in particular regarding their potential impact on the financial viability of An Post and the need to maintain the economic and social balance necessary to guarantee the continuation of the universal service at an affordable price.
My Department will consider the various proposals in the Green Paper and furnish their views to the European Commission in due course.
Is the Minister, therefore, going to formulate the Government view with regard to what appear to be radical and fundamental changes in the postal service generally? Does she intend to circulate the document to Members of this House and arrange for a debate here in the Chamber so that this House can have an input into such proposals?
We have only got the proposals of the commission in the last couple of days. It is too early yet to say what the precise implications are for An Post but there are serious implications for its future. Certainly the point made by Deputy McCartan is one I am prepared to take on board. I can report back to the Deputy to say if and when that would be possible.
The Minister said she only recently got a copy of the Green Paper. Would she not agree that it has been there for at least three months, given that newspaper reports were able to talk about it as far back as 8 March? Given the Minister's comprehensive reply, will she tell me what she intends to do to publicise the facts in this Green Paper? In the light of the reference to customer participation, what does the Minister intend to do to inform the public, who are the customers, about the implications and to elicit from them their views and opinions?
The Green Paper was adopted only last Wednesday by the commission. The reports in the newspapers that Deputy Byrne refers to contained only leaked proposals in relation to this issue which were from the earlier draft and not the approved proposals of the Commission. We have only just got them so it is too early for us to have studied in any great detail the implications for An Post. I am anxious to have as wide a debate as possible on those implications.
In the absence of the proposed committee on foreign affairs, I suggest that the Minister should seek a full debate in this Chamber on that document. May I also suggest to her, given the radical proposals contained in the Green Paper which, as she has said, will have an impact on the postal services she should call on the management of An Post to defer their reorganisation proposals for the moment until they have had an opportunity to decide where they are going in the context of this Green Paper? Would it not be appropriate today, in the context of this question, for the Minister to make a statement in the House in response to what I have proposed and call on both sides, but in particular the management of An Post, to cease the antagonism and destruction of the postal services?
Given the proposals of the European Commission it is imperative that An Post be in a healthy financial state if they are to compete with the competition post-1992. There is a separate question regarding An Post. Perhaps at that stage I will be in a position to respond to the second part of the Deputy's question.
Let us not anticipate that question now. Question No. 6, please.
