Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

An invitation to tender was issued on 29 January, 2010 for consultants to assist in selecting a body to implement and maintain a postcode system. The tender competition closed on 12 March 2010. Subsequently, a technical issue arose relating to the consistency of the request for tenders with the requirements of the public procurement regulations. The issue arose internally in the Department and was not raised by any of the outside interested parties. Bidders were notified by letter of the cancellation of the tender and a notice to that effect was posted on the e-tenders website on 15 April, 2010. A request for tender will be re-issued by my Department this week. The need to issue a new tender will have a limited impact on the timeline for the roll-out of the postcode system. It remains my objective to roll out the system by the end of 2011.

I have received and read the joint committee's report on postcodes, which is currently being reviewed by my Department. The report makes a series of recommendations relating to the design and implementation of a national postcode system. These include proposals for future-proofing of system design; the publication of a road map for implementation later this year; clarification of issues arising in relation to data protection; the promotion of postcode usage and the retention of familiar and well-used addresses.

Consideration of the details of the report is currently ongoing in my Department. This includes seeking clarification on legal issues raised by the joint committee. I will be happy to reply to the committee in full, as requested, when this is complete.

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