“North Tipperary County Council calls on the Government to recognise the unique and vital role of the postal service in Ireland, particularly rural Ireland, as a means of communication, as a vital economic tool and as an intrinsic part of the fabric of the community.

Our postal service has a social value and an economic value; these must be properly protected as the Government drafts legislation to open the postal market to full competition.  Postmen and women provide an important public service and also function as an integral part of the social fabric of their community, particularly for the elderly and the isolated citizens whose only human contact might be their post person.  Furthermore An Post’s extensive delivery and collection network, is an intrinsic part of the economic and business infrastructure of the country.  Reaching every corner of the country and by delivering to every front door An Post is an essential partner in business from a marketing, payment collection and business generation point of view.

As Ireland prepares to liberalise its postal market it is essential that the Government acknowledged this important public service, ensures that the Universal Service Obligation is protected by legislation and does not allow the opening of the market to lead to wide spread job losses, social dumping and an erosion in service levels as has happened in other countries who have already opened their postal market to competition.”