An Post
Encyclopedia
An Post is the State-owned provider of postal
services in the Republic of Ireland
. An Post provides a universal postal service to all parts of the country as a member of the Universal Postal Union
. Services provided include, letter post
; parcel service
; deposit account
s; Swiftpost, an all-Ireland
next-day delivery service; EMS
the international express mail service.
An Post, the Irish postal administration, came into being in 1984 when, under the terms of the Postal & Telecommunications Services Act, 1983, the postal services of the Department of Posts & Telegraphs
(P&T) were divided between two new organizations: An Post and Telecom Éireann
(the latter being the telecommunications operator now called Eircom
). At its inception, during the early years of the Irish Free State
, the Department of Posts & Telegraphs was the country's largest department of state, and its employees (most of them postmen) constituted the largest sector of the civil service
. Prior to this the postal service in Ireland had been under the control of the General Post Office
that was established in 1660.
Today An Post remains one of the largest employers in the State, although it has undergone considerable downsizing. It is still loss-making in parts.
The Irish government announced the introduction of a postcode system in Ireland from 2008 though An Post was against the system, saying it is unnecessary. The date for introduction of the system remains open given the new Minister's assertion that additional public consultation is required.
to run the National Lottery
through its subsidiary, An Post National Lottery Company. All employees of An Post National Lottery Company are seconded from An Post, and as such are employed and paid by An Post rather than by the subsidiary.
. It also introduced a service whereby newsagents could provide some Post Office services, entitled PostPoint. This was thought to have reversed a downward trend in business. PostTS also expanded abroad, with operations in the UK and Spain.
In 2005 PostTS sold its foreign operations. The rebrand of Post Office was partially reversed after some criticism, with the traditional An Post logo restored to Post Offices (the red-and-white symbol has been dropped from Post Offices, but remains in use for the company's website BillPay.ie and for PostPoint). The original PostTS shop front design which featured predominantly English branding "PostOffice" with the location in English, has also been replaced with the Irish language
"OifiganPhoist", with the location in both Irish and English (the PostOffice logo can still be seen, but at smaller locations is typically only on a hanging sign, not the shop front). At this time this change is complete at almost all premises.
to provide financial services through the Post Office network. The new venture will offer a range of financial products and services to the Irish market, including daily banking, savings products, insurance, mortgages and credit cards. PostPoint and the company's insurance business, One Direct, will become part of the new company, which will have access to the Post Office network.
On 29 April 2007 a press launch was held for the new bank, which is to be known as Postbank.
(legally Postbank Ireland Limited, to distinguish from other similarly named operations such as Deutsche Postbank
). The bank's savings and investment products include Solid Saver and Sure Investor. On 12 May 2008 Postbank launched a current account.
Postbank is now a 50:50 venture between An Post and BNP Paribas
. They offer current accounts, savings accounts, fixed term deposits, credit cards (VISAs in association with MBNA), along with home and car insurance, and life assurance (term and Over 50s).
The closure of the Postbank unit was announced on 26 February 2010. No new customers are being accepted as of this date, and the operation is due to be wound down by the end of December 2010.
is administered by An Post. An Post is responsible for collection of revenue, inspection and prosecution in cases of non-payment of the licence on behalf of RTÉ
.
. It ran for a year, with the public being invited to create postcards on different themes. They were then displayed around the country.
Mail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
services in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. An Post provides a universal postal service to all parts of the country as a member of the Universal Postal Union
Universal Postal Union
The Universal Postal Union is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration , the Postal Operations Council and the...
. Services provided include, letter post
Mail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
; parcel service
Parcel post
Parcel post is a service of a postal administration for sending parcels through the post. It is generally one of the less expensive ways to ship packages that are too heavy to be sent by regular letter post and is usually a slower method of transportation....
; deposit account
Deposit account
A deposit account is a current account, savings account, or other type of bank account, at a banking institution that allows money to be deposited and withdrawn by the account holder. These transactions are recorded on the bank's books, and the resulting balance is recorded as a liability for the...
s; Swiftpost, an all-Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
next-day delivery service; EMS
Express mail
In most postal systems express mail refers to an accelerated delivery service for which the customer pays a surcharge and receives faster delivery. Express mail is a service for domestic mail and is governed by a country's own postal administration...
the international express mail service.
Background
Minister for Posts and Telegraphs (Ireland)
The Minister for Posts and Telegraphs was a senior post in the government of the Irish Free State and the Republic of Ireland from 1924 to 1984, when the post and the department was abolished....
(P&T) were divided between two new organizations: An Post and Telecom Éireann
Telecom Éireann
Telecom Éireann, or formally Bord Telecom Éireann - The Irish Telecommunications Board, was created by the Postal & Telecommunications Services Act, 1983 from the Department of Posts and Telegraphs, Ireland, under the leadership of the Minister for Posts & Telegraphs...
(the latter being the telecommunications operator now called Eircom
Eircom
Eircom Group LTD is a telecommunications company in the Republic of Ireland, and a former state-owned incumbent. It is currently the largest telecommunications operator in the Republic of Ireland and operates primarily on the island of Ireland, with a point of presence in Great Britain.As Bord...
). At its inception, during the early years of the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
, the Department of Posts & Telegraphs was the country's largest department of state, and its employees (most of them postmen) constituted the largest sector of the civil service
Civil service of the Republic of Ireland
The Civil Service of Ireland is the collective term for the permanent staff of the Departments of State and certain State Agencies who advise and work for the Government of Ireland. It consists of two broad components, the Civil Service of the Government and the Civil Service of the State...
. Prior to this the postal service in Ireland had been under the control of the General Post Office
General Post Office
General Post Office is the name of the British postal system from 1660 until 1969.General Post Office may also refer to:* General Post Office, Perth* General Post Office, Sydney* General Post Office, Melbourne* General Post Office, Brisbane...
that was established in 1660.
Today An Post remains one of the largest employers in the State, although it has undergone considerable downsizing. It is still loss-making in parts.
The Irish government announced the introduction of a postcode system in Ireland from 2008 though An Post was against the system, saying it is unnecessary. The date for introduction of the system remains open given the new Minister's assertion that additional public consultation is required.
Subsidiaries
An Post is involved in a number of subsidiaries–some of these it has complete ownership of; others are partly owned by An Post such as the An Post National Lottery Company and the Prize Bond Company Limited.An Post National Lottery Company
An Post holds the licence granted by the Minister for FinanceMinister for Finance (Ireland)
The Minister for Finance is the title held by the Irish government minister responsible for all financial and monetary matters. The office-holder controls the Department of Finance and is considered one of the most important members of the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Finance is...
to run the National Lottery
National Lottery (Ireland)
The National Lottery is the state lottery of Ireland. It was founded when the Oireachtas passed the to support initiatives in the areas of sport and recreation, health and welfare, national heritage and the arts, and the Irish language. Since gaming operations began on 23 March 1987, over €3.6...
through its subsidiary, An Post National Lottery Company. All employees of An Post National Lottery Company are seconded from An Post, and as such are employed and paid by An Post rather than by the subsidiary.
An Post Transaction Services
In 2003, An Post set up a new division to run its post office and transaction services business, entitled An Post Transaction Services or PostTS. It rebranded its post offices network as "Post Office" or "Oifig an Phoist" with a new white and red logo, and introduced banking services in conjunction with Allied Irish BanksAllied Irish Banks
Allied Irish Banks p.l.c. is a major commercial bank based in Ireland.AIB is one of the so called "big four" commercial banks in the state. The bank has one of the largest branch networks in Ireland; only Bank of Ireland fully rivals it. AIB offers a full range of personal and corporate banking...
. It also introduced a service whereby newsagents could provide some Post Office services, entitled PostPoint. This was thought to have reversed a downward trend in business. PostTS also expanded abroad, with operations in the UK and Spain.
In 2005 PostTS sold its foreign operations. The rebrand of Post Office was partially reversed after some criticism, with the traditional An Post logo restored to Post Offices (the red-and-white symbol has been dropped from Post Offices, but remains in use for the company's website BillPay.ie and for PostPoint). The original PostTS shop front design which featured predominantly English branding "PostOffice" with the location in English, has also been replaced with the Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
"OifiganPhoist", with the location in both Irish and English (the PostOffice logo can still be seen, but at smaller locations is typically only on a hanging sign, not the shop front). At this time this change is complete at almost all premises.
Postbank
On 5 October 2006 An Post signed a final agreement for the creation of a joint venture with FortisFortis (finance)
Fortis N.V./S.A. was a company active in insurance, banking and investment management. In 2007 it was the 20th largest business in the world by revenue but after encountering severe problems in the financial crisis of 2008, most of the company was sold in parts, with only insurance activities...
to provide financial services through the Post Office network. The new venture will offer a range of financial products and services to the Irish market, including daily banking, savings products, insurance, mortgages and credit cards. PostPoint and the company's insurance business, One Direct, will become part of the new company, which will have access to the Post Office network.
On 29 April 2007 a press launch was held for the new bank, which is to be known as Postbank.
(legally Postbank Ireland Limited, to distinguish from other similarly named operations such as Deutsche Postbank
Deutsche Postbank
Deutsche Postbank AG is a German retail bank with headquarters in Bonn. Postbank was formed from the demerger of the postal savings division of Deutsche Bundespost in 1990. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Post in 1999, and was partially spun out on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in 2004...
). The bank's savings and investment products include Solid Saver and Sure Investor. On 12 May 2008 Postbank launched a current account.
Postbank is now a 50:50 venture between An Post and BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas S.A. is a global banking group, headquartered in Paris, with its second global headquarters in London. In October 2010 BNP Paribas was ranked by Bloomberg and Forbes as the largest bank and largest company in the world by assets with over $3.1 trillion. It was formed through the merger...
. They offer current accounts, savings accounts, fixed term deposits, credit cards (VISAs in association with MBNA), along with home and car insurance, and life assurance (term and Over 50s).
The closure of the Postbank unit was announced on 26 February 2010. No new customers are being accepted as of this date, and the operation is due to be wound down by the end of December 2010.
Television licensing
TV licensingTelevision licensing in the Republic of Ireland
In the Republic of Ireland, a television licence is required for any address at which there is a television set. In 2008, the annual licence fee is €160. Revenue is collected by An Post, the Irish postal service. The bulk of the fee is used to fund Raidió Teilifís Éireann , the state broadcaster...
is administered by An Post. An Post is responsible for collection of revenue, inspection and prosecution in cases of non-payment of the licence on behalf of RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
.
C Both Sides
In 2009, An Post sponsored a national and international postcard project, called C Both SidesC Both Sides
C Both Sides is a collective art project that started in 2006 by artists Teresa Doyle and Edel O Reilly Flynn in association with Westmeath County Council. The project consisted of people being invited to send postcards from all over Ireland to Doyle and O Reilly Flynn's addresses which were then...
. It ran for a year, with the public being invited to create postcards on different themes. They were then displayed around the country.
See also
- Communications in Ireland
- General Post Office (Dublin)General Post Office (Dublin)The General Post Office ' in Dublin is the headquarters of the Irish postal service, An Post, and Dublin's principal post office...
- List of Irish companies
- Postage stamps of IrelandPostage stamps of IrelandThe postage stamps of Ireland are issued by the postal operator of the independent Irish state. Ireland was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland when the world's first postage stamps were issued in 1840. These stamps, and all subsequent British issues, were used in Ireland until...
- Postal addresses in IrelandPostal addresses in IrelandIn the Republic of Ireland, postal addresses do not use a post code system. Rural addresses are specified by the county, nearest post town, and the townland....
- GeodirectoryGeodirectoryGeoDirectory is a service, jointly established by An Post and Ordnance Survey Ireland, that provides a complete database of all of the buildings in the Republic of Ireland. It holds records for 1.8 million properties....
- C Both SidesC Both SidesC Both Sides is a collective art project that started in 2006 by artists Teresa Doyle and Edel O Reilly Flynn in association with Westmeath County Council. The project consisted of people being invited to send postcards from all over Ireland to Doyle and O Reilly Flynn's addresses which were then...