Written answers

Tuesday, 4 October 2005

Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

Postal Services

9:00 pm

Gay Mitchell (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 329: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources his views on the changes in postal district numbers; the reason he is making such proposals; the position of these proposals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26412/05]

Photo of Noel DempseyNoel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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I am favourably disposed towards the introduction of postcodes because of the case made that a national postcode system would offer significant potential benefits for the postal business, for public utilities, for business and for consumers and the general public including addressing the issue of non-unique addresses. To examine the matter further, I established a working group comprising people with experience of the postal sector, together with a representative from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, which is the lead Department for the Irish spatial data infrastructure initiative to examine the high level issues relating to the introduction of a postcode system in Ireland. This group produced its report earlier this year.

The report found that the introduction of a publicly available postcode could deliver many potential benefits. The purpose of a postcode system would be to improve efficiencies and quality in the postal sector, to stimulate mail volume growth, to assist utilities and emergency services, to address the problem of non-unique addressing and to facilitate competition by making it easier for new postal operators to enter the market. These improvements collectively will boost the country's competitiveness. Following from the recommendations of the working group report, I asked the Commission for Communications Regulation to appoint project managers to support the postcode project by providing technical and economic advice including matching the costs and benefits of the introduction of a postcode. These managers will be supported by a national postcode project board, comprising representatives of Departments, together with public and private sector organisations which I appointed earlier this year.

The precise nature and format of any proposed postcode system has yet to be decided but it will fall within the remit of the postcode project board to examine a broad range of possible models including the costs and benefits of introducing the models. It is hoped that the project managers will present a proposal describing in sufficient detail what is the most efficient, effective and most publicly usable postcode system by 31 December 2005 with a launch date of no later than January 2008.

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