One Direct, the financial services subsidiary of An Post, has entered the life assurance market, providing death benefit policies for people aged 50 to 75 and serious illness cover through New Ireland Assurance.

The new guaranteed death benefit plan provides cover at a fixed premium for amounts ranging from £1,000 to £50,000.

Medical examinations, queries and reports are not required to qualify for a policy. Cover is guaranteed to all applicants in the specified age range. One Direct claims that a study by Lansdowne Market Research shows that over half the population of the State is without insurance cover because they fear a medical examination or believe it is a hassle to organise.

One Direct's products are available by phone, mail or through any of the 1,900 post offices in the Republic.