Joe O'Reilly (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Bill we are discussing is a follow-up consolidation and amendment of the Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Act 2011. It will achieve a number of fundamental objectives. It will ensure personal data is fully protected during and after the implementation and licensing of the new national postcode system. The Bill will provide a statutory footing for specified legitimate postcode activities which are fundamental to the establishment and implementation of the postcode project. It provides additional safeguards for the legitimate interests of owners and occupiers of properties. It does this by providing the Minister with powers to set down requirements that businesses must satisfy before they can be granted a licence to use the postcodes. It also provides owners and occupiers of properties with a right to correction of any inaccurate information held in a postcode database, and there is also an appeals system. It provides clarity to the user of the postcode database with regard to fair processing and accuracy. It will effectively mean the operation of the new postal code system will be in compliance with the Data Protection Acts 1983 to 2003.

Ireland is the only country in the European Union without a postcode system and this legislation will bring it in line with European and international markets. It is a modernising exercise and it reflects the contemporary situation in most countries. The need for it is emphasised by the fact that 35% of our addresses are not unique. In townlands where there is a multiplicity of the same name or where there are variations of townland names, confusion is created. It is vital as a modernising exercise.

Capita Business Support Services was awarded a ten-year contract in 2013 to develop and implement a national postcode system. Its overall aim is to ensure that by 2015 every address in Ireland will receive a unique Eircode, a seven-character code comprising letters and numbers. It will also support a launch and awareness campaign. There are some reservations about the plan, such as those set out by Deputy Mick Wallace, but while he put forward an interesting critique of the proposal he proposes no solutions to deal with any of the issues. I do not see how he can suggest an alternative method of doing this other than by bringing in a company like Capita.

The main issue in this legislation is data protection. I will briefly address the legislation before making a few points about post offices. Section 66A of the legislation states that the Minister of the day has the power to set down specific requirements for any business or company which seeks to use the new postcode database. Subsection (1) states that the Minister can decide to attach specific conditions to a licence granted to a postcode contractor which will ensure that the privacy of the owners and occupiers of the individual property is safeguarded. Privacy is at a premium and data protection legislation and this legislation allow the Minister to support that objective. There is also the option for any individual to correct inaccurate information held within the postcode database.

There are also reservations around the future of An Post in light of these changes. The regulatory impact analysis carried out on the legislation found that, although the new legislation will permit competitors to enter the market through open competition, it is likely that An Post will continue to be what we all want it to be - a dominant player in the letter post market for the immediate future. The national postcode project board found that the introduction of postcodes would increase mail volume, which is a positive finding in light of the legitimate fear for our post offices.

The postcodes will facilitate the location of all addresses that are non-unique. They will make it easier for consumers to shop online and will assist the development of Irish online commerce. Online shopping and e-trading are very important. They are very much part of the landscape and we have to be able to participate as it is crucial for our economic development that we modernise our economy. This will allow for a better delivery of public services, particularly the emergency services, and testimonials from the emergency services support that thesis. Some 35% of addresses in Ireland are not unique. In the constituency I have the privilege of representing, Cavan-Monaghan, we have a lot of the same names for areas and a lot of confusion around addresses, and this makes for difficulties in the form of late deliveries and wrong deliveries, which the postcodes will alleviate. I welcome this legislation for the fact that it will modernise the delivery system in my constituency of Cavan-Monaghan. Despite what Deputy Wallace said, Nightline, a major courier service, has stated that it will greatly improve the prospects for its work.

I am very concerned for the future of our post offices and I know the Minister, Deputy Alex White, is extremely proactive on this issue. Some 3,700 people work in the post office sector, including 700 local postmasters. They are, in effect, local SMEs and they are very important. I ask the Minister and the Cabinet to ensure we deliver social welfare payments through the post offices and to look into whether post offices could be equipped with a banking function. It is crucial for this country, not only the towns and villages but big cities too, that we preserve our post offices and make them viable. Although not specific to the legislation, this is very much relevant to the entire debate, and I would like the Minister to address the future of post offices in his reply. I am very anxious to preserve all our post offices in Cavan-Monaghan.

This Government has a very good record on post offices, contrary to the distortions and propaganda for which certain people are responsible. It is sad to close even one post office, but we have closed only approximately 20 post offices nationally, in contrast to the previous administrations, which closed over 200. Thankfully, closures have been at a minimum in Cavan-Monaghan, although there have been a few which we greatly regret. Post offices are always painful to lose. They are central to the fabric of our communities and the post office is the lifeblood of our community. Rather than closing post offices, I would like us to reopen some that have been closed and maintain the viability of the ones that remain.

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