Barry Ward (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Happy St. Brigid's Day, and a happy lunar new year, which so many people around the world and in Ireland also celebrate.

I wish to raise the issue of the increase in the cost of a stamp. Today we heard the news from An Post that it proposes, for the second time in a year, to increase the cost of postage nationally and internationally. The cost of a stamp for a letter in Ireland will now go up to €1.25. I could understand if this was being done to stem the closure of post offices around the country. Even in my own area, which is a suburban part of Dublin, we have had two post office closures recently at Woodbine Park, Booterstown, and in Dalkey. These were two post offices that one would expect to be busy and functional post offices, but postmasters do not want to take over those offices because the pay and conditions are not sufficient to maintain them. This is not why An Post is telling us it is increasing the cost of postage. It is to meet the increasing costs of fuel and other things.I accept that is happening for everybody in every industry. However, few people have the privileged position or the market dominance that An Post has. It is telling to look at An Post's accounts over recent years. The most recent annual report from 2020, published last year, shows revenue and profits were up. Profit was €32.5 million in 2020. Since then we have had a huge increase in the use of post and parcel services around the country, particularly during restrictions. If An Post cannot make money during that time, it should ask why not. It is certainly not channelling that money into provision for postmasters or into services. It should recognise it operates a particular position in the Irish nation and economy to provide a service to the Irish people and it ill behoves it now, within a year of the last price increase, to seek to increase the price of a stamp again, thereby perhaps driving people away from its services, rather than encouraging them.