Follow Ireland Investment Immigration and Ireland Living details: Recently, An Post has been authorized to suspend universal postal services during public holidays such as Christmas.
The Irish postal regulatory authority, ComReg, has authorized An Post to suspend postal services during holidays with low mail volumes, effective from January 2015. This action effectively modifies the service standards for An Post as a universal service provider. However, the holidays during which services are suspended do not include Christmas Eve, St. Stephen's Day, and others.
Additionally, ComReg allows An Post to suspend services on the Monday following public holidays. Typically, public holidays fall on weekends, thus services can be suspended on the Monday following St. Patrick's Day, Christmas, St. Stephen's Day, and New Year's Day.
Since September 2014, ComReg has conducted extensive consultations regarding the above proposal, but only An Post has responded. An Post was designated as a universal service provider in 2011 for a period of 12 years, and will undergo a review by the regulatory authority after 7 years of service.
An Post's request to cancel universal service during public holidays is due to the low demand for universal services during these periods, and users have various alternative communication options.