Bermuda Post Office processed about 14 million pieces of local and international mail in 2008, Telecommunications Minister Terry Lister told the House of Assembly.

About two thirds of those were local, and the rest international, Mr. Lister said in a ministerial statement on Friday. He said the previous year 15 million items had been processed.

Giving a breakdown of 2008 post office statistics, the Minister said 74 percent of local items were business-related, 17 percent personal and nine percent Government.

He said there was an 18 percent decline in international mail, mainly due to the increased use of electronic communication such as the Internet.

Fifteen percent of mail was delivered in one working day; 39 percent in two days and 28 percent in three days. Seven percent of local mail was not delivered within four days, due to problems such as incorrect or incomplete addresses, bad weather, lack of visible numbers on homes and "mailboxes located in areas not easily accessible to the postman".

He said: "You will recall that legislative amendments were made in the Fall session of Parliament to address the issue of placement of mailboxes. Once this measure has been effectively addressed the delivery times will improve considerably."