Govt Must Take Eircode Concerns Seriously - Fianna Fáil

The government must take concerns over the proposed post code system more seriously, Fianna Fáil Spokesperson of Communications, Michael Moynihan, said.

Deputy Moynihan said there are "serious reservations" about the viability of the proposed system, and added that concerns raised by freight companies and the Data Protection Commissioner cannot be ignored.

"The Irish Water debacle should serve as a very stark reminder that the Government cannot ignore the concerns of stakeholders when it is rolling out a new system. Extremely serious reservations from a number of industry sources have been made with the new postcode system due to be introduced next year," the deputy said.

"The new Eircode system could be a ticking-time bomb unless the wide range of problems with the system are addressed. The new code will not be sequential, which means houses close by each other will not have similar postcodes. This, according to freight companies and emergency services, would lead to mass confusion. Also, the Data Protection Commissioner has repeatedly advised against this unique identifying code system and said it posed data protection problems. These observations should set alarm bells ringing at Government level.

"The new Eircode system has not been sufficiently tested and the random nature of postcodes is a serious problem for such a new structure. Now is the time for the Government to review its plan for Eircode before it’s too late.

"I am calling on the Minister for Communications to immediately engage with freight companies, the emergency services and other relevant stakeholders to consult on how Eircode will be delivered. It is extremely worrying that this system has not been tested and I would hope that the Government has learned from the Irish Water mess by addressing these issues immediately."

(MH/CD)