Mr. Eamonn Molloy:

I will deal, first, with the the issue of cost. The cost of the project to the State will be in the order of €27 million, of which €10 million relates directly to the geo-code. Of the remaining €16 million, approximately €6 million is non-IT related. A total of €1 million is to be spent on dissemination, advertising, communications and design. That is the extent of the State's direct investment in the programme. As with any postcode project, IT systems in businesses around the country will be adjusted and adapted for the purposes of using the Eircode and these services will be made available generally. They will be available in a competitive market and only to those businesses that wish to access them.