asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he is aware of the confusion which has resulted from the rearrangement of the postal address areas in the vicinity of Tullamore and Daingean; and if so, if he will ensure that postal address areas will correspond as closely as possible to the townlands to which they refer.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Offaly Postal Areas.
I am not aware of any confusion resulting from the reorganisation of the postal delivery arrangements in the Tullamore-Daingean areas in 1951.
Under the reorganisation a daily delivery was afforded to places which had not this facility and an earlier delivery and later posting facilities at suboffices formerly served from Daingean were introduced. Residents whose address was altered under the rearrangement were duly notified of their new address but some correspondence is still being incorrectly addressed.
Is the Minister aware of the fact that in the case of the new postal arrangements for the Tullamore area the address of Mount Lucas, which was formerly Mount Lucas, Daingean, is now Mount Lucas, Tullamore? Is he aware that strangers coming to the district and making inquiries for Mount Lucas, Tullamore, will immediately find that although the address is Mount Lucas, Tullamore, Mount Lucas is almost 16 miles away from Tullamore, whereas the original address of Mount Lucas, Daingean, left Mount Lucas only three and a half miles from Daingean? Very serious confusion has resulted from this. Is he further aware that recently a number of public officials came to the district? One was a Land Commission inspector and he made inquiries as to where Springfield, Tullamore, was. At Tullamore post office he was told Springfield, Tullamore, was 15½ miles from Tullamore and that he had passed it already on his way from Dublin. The arrangements are most unsatisfactory and I want to know if the Minister could arrange to have this whole question reconsidered with a view, at least, to giving the name ofthe nearest town to the townland, in order to avoid confusion?
Addresses all over the country have been altered in order to improve the services. I shall have no hesitation in doing it in future, if necessary.