Mr. Ben King:

We are increasing the number of Irish addresses in the GeoDirectory database, which feeds back into An Post. The technology is an operational matter for An Post. It is the expert in mail delivery. The Department would not have that expertise in terms of how the software works, why it works the way it does and how that ties in with its matrices of deliveries. An Post also informed us that it is looking to introduce technology for postal workers whereby they would have a handheld device that would recognise the address itself. We could seek further clarification and information on that technology, which would further automate the systems for delivery on the ground. When we spoke with An Post, we asked for explanations of how the software and the sortation system work but we would not be experts in that, other than the fact that An Post said it would delay its delivery of mail.