Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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10. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans to roll out Eircode nationwide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3674/15]

Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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I wish to ask the Minister for an update concerning the roll-out of the Eircode postal system, including its total cost. How much will be spent on consultants? When will the roll-out start and how long will it take to complete nationwide?

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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In December 2013, a ten year contract was signed with Capita Business Support Services Ireland Limited to develop, roll-out and operate the national postcode system, following a public procurement process.

The design for the national postcode system was approved by Government in April 2014. The Eircode brand was launched for the national postcode system on 28 April 2014. The project is currently in the implementation phase.

The public awareness campaign began in April 2014 with the launch of the website . This website has information on Eircodes for both residents and businesses. The postcode management licence holder has briefed businesses in the interim through a series of seminars.

In order to support dissemination of Eircodes, the databases of large public sector bodies will be Eircode enabled, which means that public sector bodies with large customer-facing databases will be in a position to use immediately the codes on launch. The work on preparation of these public service databases to receive Eircodes concluded last month.

A comprehensive national information campaign will commence shortly to inform the public about Eircodes and promote their usage. The campaign will include outreach activities to ensure the residents and businesses nationwide, and especially the vulnerable and hard to reach, will receive information on Eircodes in a timely manner.

The dissemination phase will then commence to deliver by post a unique postcode to every address in Ireland. It is expected that the national postcode system will be live by the summer of this year.

Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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I thank the Minister for his response. What discussions has the Minister or his Department had with those who have concerns about the roll-out of this system and the fact that random address postcodes will be generated? The fire and emergency services association has raised genuine concerns that fatalities may occur due to an erroneous system being set up. What measures have been taken by the Department to enter into an ongoing dialogue with all those who have reservations about the proposed system? Will the amount of money to be spent on consultants' fees be capped? That is a huge bone of contention of which, no doubt, the Minister is aware. The public is genuinely concerned about this matter.

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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Just in case there is any doubt arising from what the Deputy said in respect of emergency services - we can also talk about other services and interested groups - my Department has briefed all the emergency services on this project. The code will be available to all emergency services at whatever stage their systems are ready to exploit it.

The national ambulance service is already constructing a new computer-aided dispatch system to use Eircodes. This will be deployed in its new state-of-the-art national call centre this year. The national ambulance service has welcomed the introduction of Eircodes as they will facilitate the speedier deployment of their services.

There has been extensive consultation across the board concerning Eircodes. The inputs that people had an opportunity to give were very much taken on board. In an earlier question, which we can certainly revisit, I dealt with the issue of data protection and the interest that the Data Protection Commissioner has taken in this matter. Those concerns have been addressed comprehensively. There will be a short Bill before the Houses prior to the implementation of Eircodes in the summer.

Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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I thank the Minister again, but there are still concerns from the fire and emergency services association, particularly from first responders. Those concerns therefore need to be fully followed up by the Department.

How long does the Minister expect it will take to roll out these codes nationally, particularly to rural areas? Is there a difficulty in that respect? Is there an overlap with the proposed new system, considering that An Post already has a geo-directory?

Overall, I welcome any measures taken to improve postal deliveries so that the public, hopefully, will receive mail in a timely manner. Perhaps the Minister can respond to those points.

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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I repeat what I said about the emergency services. The national ambulance service has welcomed the introduction of Eircodes and is fully geared up to use them. I am not sure what the issue was concerning a cross-over that the Deputy raised. However, if he wishes to raise it with me after this morning's session I will be happy to address it for him.

This will be a huge advance for the country, including businesses and the community generally. The particular brand or type of Eircode we chose followed a consultation process and a period of deliberation. It will provide a unique code to every postal address in the country, including individual apartments.

As the Deputy knows, the Eircode will be a seven-character code in the format A65B2CD. The first three characters relate to a general area or routing key in which the address is located. Some 35% of addresses in this country are non-unique, which was a critical factor in the choice we made in respect of the particular design we have.