Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I appreciate the Senator's comments but the reverse is the case nowadays. It was a requirement under many previous Bills that documents had to be served through registered post. However, life has changed and the use of registered post to serve notices has been deliberately omitted from this legislation and other legislation in recent times. For example, serving summonses is no longer done through registered post because it is not as satisfactory as it used to be.

Society has changed significantly. Once upon a time, houses were always occupied but that is no longer the case. If a postman calls to a house to deliver a notice and the person is not in, he will leave a note for him or her to call to the district sorting office to pick up the letter. If he or she knows it is a summons or something else he or she does not want, he or she will not pick it up. Even if a person is in the house and sees the postman coming, he or she will hide behind the curtains.

The use of registered post has been deliberately excluded and this provision is being standardised in legislation because registered post is not working. People are not at home most of the time and, even if they are, they can abuse the system to ensure they do not receive a letter they do not want. The omission of registered post is not an oversight and takes account of practical realities.