Postal Rates To Rise

28 March 2002

The Postal Regulator has approved the interim increase while she considers an application from An Post for a range of increases which would raise the basic postal tariff to 45c.

The new 41c basic rate will cover postage within Ireland and to the UK for letter and postcard items measuring up to C5 in size and up to 50 grams in weight. Until now the weight limit for the basic rate has been 25 grams.

Mr Ken Robinson, managing director of Letter Post, the An Post mails division, said “Since 1991 postal rates have declined by 0.7 per cent while living costs (as measured by the CPI) have increased by 35 per cent. Notwithstanding the current increase the Irish postal service is the fourth cheapest in Europe.

“An Post has provided a high quality price-stable postal service for 12 years but can no longer sustain rising losses particularly on international outbound services. The impact of these losses and increasing costs pushed the company into losses last year for the first time since 1991,” he said.

Mr Robinson added “This interim increase is welcome but the company urgently needs to increase the ordinary letter rate to 45c, an application for which has been with the Regulator since last year.”
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Please see www.letterpost.ie for specific price details