Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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243. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his Department has completed a cost benefit analysis and review of Eircode; the uptake of Eircode; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6133/18]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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My Department conducted a number of Cost Benefit analyses on the Eircode project in 2008, 2010 and 2015.  These showed that, in addition to the project yielding a positive Net Present Value to both the State and Private Sector, that it would also bring about a wide range of other benefits including accurate location of all addresses in the State, including the 35% of addresses that are ‘non-unique’; make it easier for consumers to shop online and enabling emergency services to quickly locate addresses, particularly in rural areas.

Eircode use among the public and businesses continues to grow significantly and this, in part, can be seen by use of the free online Eircode Finder app which has had more than 20 million look ups since its launch, with an average daily look-up of 38,000 in November 2017.

The National Ambulance Service (NAS) have integrated Eircodes into their dispatch system which means that the patient’s address and the position of the nearest available ambulance can be accurately pinpointed, using the Eircode, on a digital map, enabling an ambulance to be quickly and accurately routed to someone in need of medical help. NAS are currently fitting their ambulances with digital mobile terminals (MDT) that allow responding crews to have the call details sent to their MDT screens together with the Eircode and a location map to assist with arrival at the correct location.

Eircodes are being used by public sector bodies including, CSO, OSi, National Transport Authority, Student Universal Support Ireland, Local Authorities, Revenue, Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Health Service Executive. Other state bodies and agencies that interact with the public have incorporated Eircodes into their operational systems.

Google have integrated Eircodes into Google Maps and TomTom and other satnav providers are currently in the process of integrating Eircodes into their satnav apps for use by consumers and businesses.

To date there are over 800 business organisations who licence and use Eircodes within their business operations across a wide spectrum of sectors. A number of these organisations are both international and Irish SMEs that develop business solutions and apps utilising Eircodes for their customers. One such Irish SME developed free Eircode mobile app based on Google Maps that is used extensively by courier/delivery drivers who deliver parcels every day with Eircodes. This app was used c.100,000 times to give satnav directions in October and over 600,000 times since launch in 2016.