Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I second the amendment to the Order of Business proposed by Senator Daly. This is a very important motion and there is some urgency about it. I compliment him on his vigilance in this regard. Perhaps the Leader might be able to accept the amendment because it is of interest to us all.

I join Senator Barrett in sending best wishes to Donncha Ó Dúlaing. He has had an exceptionally illustrious career in broadcasting and is stepping down after 50 years. He was truly the king of the highways and byways. He came from the old school of journalism and broadcasting which was very positive and encouraging. I doubt if there is a parish in Ireland he did not visit. He sought out people who had a special story but very often did not get the spotlight, whether they were poets, craftspeople, musicians, writers or whatever. His was an exceptionally friendly voice coming into the homes of Ireland every week. He represented a very strong connection with emigrants abroad. He has done the nation considerable good. A few years ago he came into the Houses of the Oireachtas to make a programme, interviewing various people here at Christmas time. Guím gach rath air.

I ask the Leader to get us an update on the imminent implementation of the planned new postal code system. Yesterday I received representations from a major American company that does business in Ireland, particularly in the context of deliveries throughout the entire island. The understanding is that the code will not be in sequence, which I find very difficult to understand. Let us think of the emergency services and what it would mean if they do not have the code numbers in sequence. Even An Post will face a similar situation. All delivery companies will also have it.

While this has been outsourced to another company, I hope it is not too late to stop and reflect on it. I believe it is a mistake and the people who approached me were exceptionally surprised to be more or less told it would not be in sequence. I would like to know the reason for that. While I am not sure who the appropriate Minister is, it would be worth having a debate because we are representing all the counties in Ireland and we understand the situation on the ground. It would give us an opportunity to give an input into that debate.