Postal charges for heavier items are to be increased from later this month. The new charges announced by An Post yesterday will apply to letters, large envelopes, packets and parcels weighing from 50g to 100g.
The current standard 48 cent charge for letters of up to 50g will remain unchanged.
However, in a statement last night the regulator for the communications sector, ComReg, criticised An Post for comments on the charges which appeared to suggest that ComReg had approved the increases.
"An Post has claimed that rates for posting large envelopes and packets weighing up to 50g will increase from Monday, March 20th, 2006, as required by ComReg. ComReg has not required An Post to increase these prices," it stated.
It said of the 20 principal postage rates quoted by An Post in a newspaper advertisement to be published today, only three are subject to ComReg's prior approval. Under the increases introduced by An Post, postage for letters weighing between 50g and 100g will increase from 48 cent to 60 cent.
The charge for larger envelopes weighing between 50g and 100g will rise from 60 cent to 90 cent, while the new cost of posting packets and parcels of between 50g and 100g will be €2 and €6 respectively.
These categories of mail have been open to full competition since the beginning of the year.
A spokeswoman for An Post said last night that the new prices formed part of a review of its product range. She said this had been redesigned to provide greater choice and flexibility, depending on customer need for speed, urgency or cost.
Commercial director of An Post Derek Kickham said last night: "From February 20th business and private customers can choose to send their postcard, letter, large envelope, packet or parcel by one of four new methods - standard, registered, express or courier post".
He said the discounts available to business customers had been extended, and the threshold for these had been reduced from 500 to 350 items of mail.
Mr Kickham said that for letters of up to 50g, Ireland had the third-cheapest postal rate across the EU 15.
An Post said a new airmail rate of 75 cent was also being introduced for all letters weighing up to 50g to all international destinations.
