Seanad debates

Thursday, 25 June 2015

Communications Regulation (Postal Services) (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage

 

10:30 am

Photo of Feargal QuinnFeargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister back to the House. He was demoted to the Lower House several years ago but he was previously an active Member of this House. I look forward to hearing Members' views and, I hope, a healthy debate on this Bill. I was the chairman of An Post in the 1980s. After we introduced postcodes in Dublin, we constructed a new sorting office on Fortfield Road and told the people in that part of the city they would be in Dublin 26 instead of Dublin 6. This resulted in an uproar, with people arguing their homes would be devalued if they were in Dublin 26 because Tallaght was in Dublin 24. We solved the problem by designating the area as Dublin 6W in the expectation that we would introduce postcodes shortly thereafter. Residents warned us that they would not use the Dublin 26 postcode even if it meant letters addressed to them would be a day late arriving.

Britain was the first country to introduce alphanumeric postcodes. Every other country used either numbers or letters but not both. Concerns were expressed at the time about whether it was wise to introduce alphanumeric postcodes but the system appears to have worked. The postcode system for Ireland looks rather technical. I am glad the Bill takes into account the lessons we learned from the Irish Water controversies, especially in regard to taking information from customers. In the Irish Water case it was PPS numbers and in the case of this Bill it is postcodes.

The new system has been criticised by those who may have to rely on it for life and death issues. Mr. John Kidd of the Irish Fire and Emergency Services Association stated:

Eircodes has been designed for a post-based system. We'd like a system where zero codes are combined with that. What does that mean for us in emergency services? In the event I get a 999 call for fire, ambulance or An Garda Síochána, I know where you're phoning from. The new postcode could be REG 315 in Donnybrook or REG 316 in Darndale. All we have to do is make a digit wrong and we are going to a totally different area.
I have a query about the company selected to implement Eircode, Capita, says that these concerns have been answered. It is a concern that this late in the day people such as emergency workers are raising these legitimate concerns. What really jolted me is that DHL, Fedex and UPS have all told the committee that they will not use the postcode system. I would like to hear the Minister's response to this. Those companies are major multinationals and it is extraordinary that they are planning not to use the code. Bobby Kerr has issued his report on the business future of An Post. I think it was a great idea to have Bobby Kerr examine the company. I ask the Minister to comment on whether the business development group was asked to look at the postcode issue as there is no mention of it in the report. It would have been very useful to get the views of someone with such business experience on whether the system is viable from a business perspective. It sets major alarm bells ringing with me when DHL, Fedex and UPS, world-renowned companies, have rejected the scheme. Given that Mr. Kerr's report is only an interim report I suggest that the Minister put the Eircode system on hold for the time being until Mr. Kerr's business development group analyses the viability of Eircode from a purely business perspective. That would be very worthwhile.

Sometimes in business one must hold back until a project is ready for the market. In the case of Eircode I do not believe it is ready for the market just yet. It seems extraordinary that if a person orders something on-line and puts in the new postcode a courier company delivering the item will not even use that postcode. It seems quite ironic that the Government has been talking about giving business opportunities to An Post yet it has given the postcode contract to Capita.

I ask the Minister to state whether the postcode contractor, currently Capita, will pass on postcodes in order for them to be used to follow up on people to pay property tax. Will the Minister state whether the postcode contractor will not pass on postcodes for the identification of people who have not paid the water charges? People are legally obliged to pay these charges but it is important that postcodes should not be misused. We saw how Irish Water obtained the PPS numbers. It is very important for the Minister to put these statements on the record of the House. If he cannot do so I would be interested to know why it is not possible.

When I was running the loyalty card scheme in my own business it was a priority to fully comply with the data protection legislation to ensure that the information was not misused or given to a third party. There is a justifiable concern over the potential for people to get even more junk mail and that postcodes will be obtained or sold to third parties. On the possibility to fine the postcode contractor I have concerns that the postcode contractor will investigate complaints relating to the use of postcodes by the postcode contractor or a value-added reseller. It seems absurd but that should not be the case. The Data Protection Commissioner should be responsible for complaints. In addition, this Bill should include a provision to dissuade the postcode contractor from giving out postcodes. This could be in the form of a large fine. Can the Minister state why the possibility of fining the contractor if they give out postcodes to third parties is not included in the Bill? Can the Minister state whether the Government would be open to an amendment to include a provision for a fine in this case? It should be an offence for the postcode contractor to hand out postcodes to certain parties.

The idea of a State e-mail address to cut down on paper and time is a somewhat related topic but in this day and age it is amazing that State bodies send letters when they could send official notification via e-mail. For instance, it would make much more sense for hospital appointments to be e-mailed to a verified e-mail address. I refer to the example of Denmark where legislation was introduced to ensure that businesses have digital postboxes, a registered e-mail address, so that they can receive secure communication from the State or State authorities. Denmark is now beginning to replace physical mail with a digital postal service and it is now compulsory for members of the public to register on the Internet their change of address on immigration, marriage application or even to report the theft of a bicycle. The aim is to move 80% of communications with public authorities in Denmark from paper to the web by the end of the year. It is estimated that this will save €300 million. In this day and age why are State institutions such as hospitals still sending out letters for appointments? Denmark has recognised that this is a thing of the past. They estimate it will save paper and money and it will make information more secure.

In 1983 I went to Tallaght to see for the first time something called a fax machine. I was able to send a fax to New York and receive a message by return. I thought it would threaten the future of the postal service. However, it was decided to use the modern technology and a fax machine was installed in every post office. I have great confidence in An Post and its senior management and in particular because it has the support from Bobby Kerr who is advising and suggesting in those areas. It is possible to say that there are changes taking place. Every citizen in Ireland could have an official State e-mail address to facilitate communications from the tax office, the courts, the hospital or the post office, for example, without the need for a physical letter communication. Masses of paper and printing costs would be saved by State bodies which would save money and time as well as paper. There could be an opt-out for people unfamiliar with technology, including the elderly, but it would encourage more people in business to go online and it would show to the world that Ireland is a very advanced place to do business. An Post could be a leading force if we decide to go down this route. We have the right people in An Post and we have the right people such as Bobby Kerr. We should be looking at this issue now as I have no doubt whatsoever that this system will be introduced. I think we should be one of the first countries to do it and we should take the lead rather than be a late adopter. The State e-mail address could bring much more benefits for ordinary people and businesses and savings for the State as opposed to what I think is a flawed postcode system. I believe it needs to be looked at again and I urge the Minister to rethink whether it would be better to delay in order to get the advice of people who have a very interested view on it.

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