Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 September 2020
108. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Climate Action and Communication Networks the reason an Eircode (details supplied) is not recognised by companies other than Eircode; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21372/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraEircodes are assigned to new property addresses using a valid postal address and verified geo-locations. All postal addresses, geographical addresses and geo-locations are provided to Eircode from authoritative sources, namely An Post and Ordnance Survey Ireland through their subsidiary company An Post GeoDirectory. An Post collects information on all new and existing buildings, as well as changes to existing addresses, and Ordnance Survey Ireland provides the geo-locations for these buildings.
Each new postal address assigned an Eircode is published on the free to use Eircode Finder website, a notification letter is issued to the property occupant containing the Eircode of that address and an updated Eircode Database is provided to licenced businesses for their use. Eircode have informed my Department that over 117,500 property addresses have been assigned an Eircode since the launch in 2015.
The timeframe for the updated Eircodes to be made accessible to telecommunications companies is dependent on each company's own Eircode data provider's contracted agreement. All such Eircode data providers are sourced and contracted by individual telecommunications companies. In the case of Sat Nav providers, they can apply and integrate the latest Eircode updates into their business systems to meet their business needs and those of their customers, including adding the correct routing and mapping details to the location.
Operational matters and commercial decisions of private commercial operators, including the updating of databases, are a matter for these commercial operators and one in which I have no direct function.
