A new postage stamp marking Ireland’s presidency of the European Union has been launched.

An Post has claimed its financial position has deteriorated as a result of delays by the Communications Regulator in dealing with its application for an increase in the price of postage stamps.

An Post has reached initial agreement via its insurance subsidiary One Direct to buy the branch network element of the general insurance arm of Aviva Ireland.

Funding to good causes by the National Lottery hit a five-year low in 2011 as a result of the economic downturn, forcing consumers to spend less money on Lotto tickets and scratch cards.

An Post’s traditional business of delivering letters declined last year as did the company’s profits — tumbling from €5.8m in 2010 to €2.2m last year.

An Post has defended the closure of rural post offices, despite widespread criticism over the lack of consultation with local communities.

THE National Lottery has said it might need a new partner if the Government goes ahead with plans to seek an upfront payment of about €650 million from the winners of a lottery licence to fund the National Children’s Hospital.

SEMI-STATE bosses have remained silent on whether they would volunteer cuts to their massive pay packets after they were urged to “examine their conscience” on the issue.

HUNDREDS of postal workers yesterday paid a poignant farewell to their Limerick colleague who died last Thursday when his mail delivery bike collided with a vehicle on his morning round.

LESS demand for the postal service and increased competition from electronic media have been cited as the primary reasons for 1,600 job losses at An Post.

THE former stage winner may have ridden the race 17 times and an 18th appearance is in his plans for this year but when Stephen O’Sullivan was handed the title of Route Director for this year’s An Post Rás by his father-in-law, Dermot Dignam, avoided soft options and came up with one of the most difficult routes in the history of the event.

FINANCE Minister Brian Lenihan’s decision to shelve a review of semi-state bosses’ pay sends out “the wrong signal”, a Fianna Fáil TD has said.

THERE have been suggestions that the recession is over, but it is very hard to find anyone in business or on the street who believes this, other than those who ridiculed the suggestion that we were heading for a crash in the first place.

FINANCE Minister Brian Lenihan quietly shelved a review of the pay of semi-state bosses despite the fact that some of them enjoy packages worth €500,000 a year.

National Irish Bank and An Post have today announced a new partnership to offer cash services to the Bank’s customers.

A new stamp celebrating the centenary of Irish language poet Máirtín O’Direáin’s birth was unveiled on his native Inis Mor today.

AN Post had pre-tax losses of €25.6 million in 2009 in what it called its most commercially challenging year ever. Profit before tax in 2008 was €39.9m.

An Post turnover declined 5.4% from €850m in 2008 to €804.2m last year, it was announced today.

AN Post has shelled out €9 million for a majority stake in the Gift Voucher Shop (GVS).

An Post has invested €9m for a majority stake in Irish pre-paid gift card company the Gift Voucher Shop (GVS), It was announced today.

An Post has reported a record operating profit of €31.2m for 2008, amounting to 3.7% of turnover.

PENSION liabilities at An Post rocketed to €582.3 million at the end of 2008, up from €114.3m a year earlier, the company’s annual report reveals.

The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) today expressed its concern with An Post's contniued failure to meet its targets.

The head of An Post is to appear before the Oireachtas Communications Committee this morning.

AN POST will continue to provide payment services to social welfare customers, the Government confirmed yesterday.

JUST three-quarters of letters posted within Ireland last year were delivered the next day — 17% short of the target laid down by the communications regulator.

AN Post is implementing a major multi-million euro change programme in the collection and deliveries areas of its operations, according to its chief executive, Donal Connell, who was speaking at a breakfast briefing to members of Cork Chamber of Commerce yesterday.

CYCLING legend, Sean Kelly, unveiled his new An Post-sponsored cycling team at the GPO in Dublin yesterday and promised some big performances from the 14-man squad which is comprised of a mix of six Irish and eight foreign riders.

THE European Court of Justice (ECJ) is to issue a ruling tomorrow week that could force An Post to relinquish its annual contract worth around €37 million to make social welfare payments on behalf of the Government.

A simple postcard is set to put budding artists across Ireland on the map, it emerged today.

An Post today opened the headquarters of its new banking business, Postbank, in Dun Laoghaire with the creation of 50 jobs.

The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg), the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) for the postal industry in Ireland, today published the results of its quarterly independent eport on the Quality of Service performance of An Post.

POST officers throughout the country will close for one hour today in memory of a slain colleague.

THE pre-Christmas excitement surrounding Kilkenny on one of the year’s busiest shopping days was shattered in cruel and brutal fashion with the killing of local postmaster Alan Cunniffe, a single man in his 30s, seconds after an armed robbery yesterday afternoon.

The Government has approved a joint venture between An Post and the Belgian/Dutch international financial services company, Fortis.

COMMUNICATIONS Minister Noel Dempsey may have been almost gushing yesterday about the proposed new nationwide postcode plan, but there was very little said about An Post’s new chief executive.

The board of An Post today approved the appointment of Mr Donal Connell as the new chief executive of the company.