An Post was criticised yesterday by the communications regulator for failing to make significant progress towards reaching mail delivery targets.
In its annual report on the quality of service provided by An Post, ComReg said only 72 per cent of standard mail was delivered within one working day last year.
It said that this was a slight improvement on the 71 per cent result in 2003 but fell well short of the 94 per cent target set by ComReg.
An Post disputed the figures and said its own surveys consistently showed next-day delivery rates to be close to 90 per cent.
A spokeswoman said the company accepted, however, that the service had to be improved. Achieving this would depend on agreeing new work practices with unions.
In its report, ComReg said mail posted in Dublin for delivery countrywide received poorer levels of service than mail posted outside the capital.
While 69 per cent of mail posted in Dublin was delivered the following working day, the figure was 73 per cent for the remainder of the State.
Of equal concern, it said, was the finding that only 96 per cent of standard mail was delivered by the third working day after it was posted.
"The target is that 99.5 per cent of all mail should be processed and delivered within three working days.
"Despite an improvement in the third quarter, the result for the year as a whole showed no improvement on 2003," the report said.
The ComReg survey was carried out by TNS mrbi and used statistical methods mandated by the European Commission.
An Post claimed the survey was based on a "very small sample of mail".
Its spokeswoman said the company had commissioned a survey using the same statistical methods but based on the entire mail service. The results would be available next month.
Talks between the company and unions on major work-practice changes are to continue until early May, under a process set up by the Labour Court.
An Post has applied to ComReg for approval to increase the price of a regular stamp from the current 48 cent.
Its spokeswoman said yesterday that the increase yesterday was "desperately" needed, but the company accepted that ComReg could not approve it until the new work practices were agreed.
