Postal

When considering whether or not to concur with any price increase proposals by An Post, ComReg must act in accordance with law and operate in a transparent manner, giving all interested parties the opportunity to comment on the proposals under consideration.

In relation to the pricing of universal postal services, ComReg has two separate powers:

Firstly and in accordance with section 70(2) of the 1983 Postal and Telecommunications Services Act (as amended) An Post “shall not increase any charge under a scheme under this section relating to a postal service reserved for the company under Regulation 8 of the European Communities (Postal Services) Regulations 2002 (S.I. No. 616 of 2002) without the concurrence of the Commission for Communications Regulation”. Since January 2006, only postal services weighing up to 50g are reserved to An Post.

Secondly, while ComReg’s prior approval is not required for services that fall outside the reserved area, An Post has a legal obligation to ensure that such tariffs are geared to cost, affordable, transparent and non-discriminatory, and ComReg has a legal responsibility to monitor An Post’s compliance.

A summary of the principle legal provisions considered by ComReg is contained at Appendix A to ComReg 07/10.