Price of Irish stamps rises to 41 cents

Postage will cost more from Tuesday after An Post won an interim rise in the price of standard letter post from 38 cent to 41 cents.

The price rise, which had been expected, is the first since 1991 in the cost of the ordinary letter tariff. It will cover postage within Ireland and to Britain for letters and postcards up to 50 grams in weight. Until now, the weight limit for the basic rate has been 25 grams.

While welcoming the interim rise, Mr Ken Robinson, managing director of Letter Post at An Post’s mail division, said the company urgently needed to increase the ordinary letter rate to 45 cents.

“Since 1991, postal rates have declined by 0.7 per cent while living costs have increased by 35 per cent. Notwithstanding the current increase, the Irish postal service is the fourth cheapest in Europe,” he said.

But the regulator, Ms Etain Doyle, said An Post’s proposal was not under consideration at the present time.

She said she would review An Post’s pricing in the light of full separated accounts required by her office not later than May 31st, 2002.