Mr. Liam O'Sullivan:

In the context of An Post, delivery performance rates have been running at exceptionally high levels. We do not believe the use of postcodes will lift us beyond the figure of 98%. We are almost in the margin of error as to whether the rate is 100%. The example I provided in respect of Christmas time shows that there will be a financial as well as an efficiency benefit. An Post staff who are recruited to sort mail manually are obliged to undergo an extensive training programme. The process in the future will be much simpler because once Eircode location codes are included in mail, it will be simple to match individual items to sorting destinations. We will achieve some cost reductions as a result of the introduction of the codes.