Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for coming before the joint committee. I like to figure things out in my mind and keep them simple. If I can understand them, I can then explain to people the reasons a measure has been introduced, what is its purpose and what will be its benefits to society in general. Reading the documentation and listening to the presentation, I am still some distance from reaching that stage in regard to Eircodes. I will explain the reasons.

Someone mentioned vanity addresses. There are also vanity projects and I fear that there is a little vanity about this project. Latitude and longitude do not change, nor do X Y co-ordinates. The X Y co-ordinates will be used to identify houses or premises built next door to another house or premises; therefore, we are discussing the process of translating X Y co-ordinates into something that can be used to enable a letter to be dropped. That should be straightforward, but we seem to have come up with an expensive and extensive system to do this.

I have looked at all of the documentation on the reasons the system was put in place in the first place and all sorts of claims are made about the financial benefits that will ensue for various sectors, including the public service, but there is no explanation of how these financial benefits will accrue. It seems rational that automating the delivery of pieces of paper to addresses will make life easier for those engaged in business or the public service, but do we need to spend this much on the system in order to achieve that outcome? It is unclear to me precisely what business or public service problem we are trying to address with the Eircode system.

I have some questions about the process of the project. Typically in a project such as this someone identifies problems to be solved and, through a process of discussion with others, begins to think through what system is needed to solve them. Following that process of discussion, a high level functional specification is devised to find a system to solve the problems identified. That system is improved and the concept is generally proved at that point before one moves to the technical specification. One then prepares a request for proposals and tenders, to build or buy the system or modify the one already in place, test and implement it. It all hangs from the very first point on what problem we are trying to solve. Typically people are engaged in an advisory capacity with the Department because some specialist knowledge is required during these steps. Are there individuals who or companies which were engaged to advise the Department through the various stages of the process and are now involved in the ongoing project management? Last December it was announced that a monitoring body would be set up. I think BA Consulting had the contract. Was the contract ever awarded?

Indemnity insurance for €22.5 million formed part of the request for proposals. That seems extraordinary when we consider the costs of the project as outlined by the delegates.

Mr. O'Sullivan said An Post will fully use the Eircode system. In its current form, if 100,000 documents, letters and parcels entered the sorting office in Athlone or wherever else, would the Eircode format, as constituted, support scanning and automatic sorting, or would there have to be a translation process? Could the Eircode format, as structured, facilitate scanning and mechanical sorting of these documents, letters and parcels?