Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

10 o’clock

I thank the Deputy for the question. The Eircode postcode has been designed, inter alia, to manage challenges around finding addresses in Ireland, specifically the fact that more than 35% of addresses are not unique. This issue underpins the solution adopted which will assign a unique seven-digit alphanumeric identifier to each address. The first three characters of the code, called a routing key, will be used to help sort mail, but it is not directly linked to counties, towns or other geographic features. A routing key will be shared by a number of properties in an area, and will become familiar, rather like the prefix on landline phone numbers.

The second part of the Eircode postcode, the unique identifier, has four characters drawn from a carefully selected set of letters and numbers that identify each address. The Eircode design has a flexible structure with plenty of spare capacity. That means that it is future-proofed to allow for changes to buildings and new developments. There has been widespread support from public sector bodies and private businesses, with particular interest from the retail and financial industries, for the introduction of postcodes nationally. For example, Nightline, Ireland’s biggest independent logistics firm, is fully supportive of the introduction of Eircode. In addition, the emergency services and, in particular, the National Ambulance Service, have welcomed the introduction of Eircode as the codes will facilitate the speedier deployment of its services.

The Freight Transport Association of Ireland and other bodies, as the Deputy has pointed out, have expressed concerns over the non-sequenced nature of Eircode. A sequential design has a number of drawbacks, including the potential to lead to the inability to assign a sequential Eircode postcode to new builds and to cope with the expansion in the number of addresses in the future. The cost to the Exchequer of the national postcode system over the ten-year cycle of the contract is expected to be €27 million, excluding VAT, with costs covering design, database upgrades, media and postcode distribution.

An extensive public information campaign will commence early next year to inform the public about Eircode postcodes and promote their use. This will include outreach activities to ensure the public, especially the vulnerable and hard-to-reach, obtain information on Eircode in a timely manner. Eircode postcodes are expected to be launched by the middle of next year when every household and business in the country will receive a letter containing their postcode.

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