An Post is falling well short of targets for next-day deliveries, a study for regulator ComReg has found. Dominic Coyle reports.

The study of postal performance in the first half of the year found that only 70 per cent of letters were arriving at their destination the next day, compared with a target of 94 per cent.

An Post is also failing to meet the target set by regulators for delivery within three working days. Following a consultation earlier this year, ComReg set a target for this sector of 99.5 per cent but only 95 per cent of letters are arriving in the time.

An Post has dismissed the findings, saying the study, carried out by TNS mrbi, is too small and selective to be representative. It says that its most recent indications are that 92 per cent of mail is taking just one day to arrive.

ComReg chairman Mr John Doherty said that, regardless of disruption caused to postal services in March and April, "the service throughout the period measured falls significantly short of both the required standard of service set by ComReg and international best practice".

The survey found that only 75 per cent of local mail - letters destined for addresses in the same county in which they were posted - arrived the next working day. The performance of Dublin (73 per cent) was worse than elsewhere (77 per cent). A total of 11,660 letters to more than 400 homes and businesses were involved in the survey.

The capital fared worse in all categories. While 70 per cent of mail posted anywhere in the State reached its addressee the next day, just two-thirds of mail posted in Dublin did so, while 74 per cent of letters posted outside the city did.

Similarly, just 69 per cent of letters posted outside Dublin got to their Dublin addresses the next working day.

ComReg says in its report that the "impact of the period of disruption [through industrial action\] on the results for the half year is not considered to be material in that it did not by itself prevent An Post from meeting ComReg targets for next-day delivery".

A spokesman for An Post said the ComReg survey was "incomplete".

"This study excludes bulk mail that accounts for a large proportion of our business," said Mr John Foley. "The study uses a small sample of individual pieces of mail and shows figures that go against the company.

"I do not contend that the figures are as good as they could be but it certainly would not be 70 per cent."

Mr Foley also said that the closure of the State's largest mail sorting unit, the Dublin Mails Centre, for three weeks was bound to have an impact on results as it handles about 60 per cent of all mail.

He said internal surveys indicated that next-day deliveries were running at around 88 per cent during the first half of 2004 and, following recent changes, they were running at around 92 per cent.

He said ComReg's target was unobtainable and there was no demand for it from customers. "We do regard quality of service as important but the 94 per cent target put in place by ComReg is not necessary or achievable. Trying to do so would cost around €35 million," he said.

He added that An Post was seeking greater efficiency and the introduction of more productive methods, which were the subject of ongoing discussions with the Communications Workers Union through the Labour Relations Commission.