Mail delivery speed way off target
Just 74% of single piece priority mail i.e. standard correspondence was delivered within one working day throughout the State during the third quarter of 2005. An Post had set a target of 94%.
Further, there has been a 4% drop in service quality compared to An Post's second quarter performance.
This has reversed the moderately improving trends witnessed in the first half of 2005.
The negative findings are contained in a report on the Quality of Service performance of An Post published yesterday by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg).
The report also found:
Mail posted outside of Dublin for next-day delivery in Dublin is only experiencing a 69% success rate while mail posted outside of Dublin for local delivery records a success rate of 79%.
96% of all mail was delivered within three working days. This reflects a 2% fall over the first two quarters of 2005 and a 3% drop in quality over the corresponding period of 2004.
The result falls short of the 99.5% target set by ComReg.
Commenting on the latest results, ComReg Commissioner, Mike Byrne said they were of some concern.
"Although ComReg notes that this poor performance coincided with some operational changes by An Post in the southern part of the country, the results are of some concern given the July to September period is generally An Post's best performing quarter."
Earlier this week,
ComReg turned down An Post's application for a 25% price rise.
The State-owned postal firm was seeking a rise in the cost of a standard letter to 60 cent from 48 cent, but ComReg said there was insufficient evidence to support the claim.
An Post was granted a rise for large envelopes from 60 cent to 90 cent while packets will rise from 96 cent to €2.
The increases will not come into effect for three months.
ComReg also announced it intended to appoint a team of accountants or consultants to examine An Post's operations in further detail.
An Post claims a price rise was an integral part of a rescue plan it announced two years ago.
Relations between An Post management and workers have been fraught in recent months.
A postal strike threatened to disrupt Christmas deliveries but the threat was lifted at the beginning of December when collection and delivery workers voted to accept a Labour Court recommendation on major changes to work practices.
During the dispute, An Post had antagonised workers by submitting plans to spend €30 million next year on upgrading security systems and renovating buildings.
This came at a time when the company had yet to meet the terms of Sustaining Progress.
The company posted turnover in 2004 of €750m and a €7m pre-tax profit.
An Post faces greater competition from next year when private companies will be able to distribute letters weighing more than 50g and ordinary letter post will be open to competition in 2009.
Separately, ComReg yesterday issued a consultation paper seeking expressions of interest for the provision of Digital Television on a regional or local basis.
Further information is available online at www.comreg.ie.
