Sir, – Your correspondent T Gerard Bennett (January 11th) misunderstands how Eircode works. An Eircode is a unique code that enables the user to identify and locate all individual addresses.
This is of particular value in rural Ireland, where a number of buildings often share the same address.
Emergency services using the Eircode will not find themselves in the wrong place as each Eircode is validated against its address. This is done by using the first three digits, which identify the geographical area in which the address is located, and the last four digits, which identify the precise individual address.
The last four digits have been designed to ensure that an incorrect or transposed digit will not provide an adjacent address, but an address in a completely different geographical area.
By reference to all seven digits, an emergency service provider would immediately know if an error had occurred, and would be able to rectify it with the caller.
The Eircodes are not sequential. If they were, it would have been necessary to change people’s individual codes each time a new building appeared between existing addresses.
However, this does not prevent sequencing of deliveries because the unique Eircode is designed to enable businesses to sequence deliveries along a route of their choosing using satnav devices and mobile apps (including the free Eircode Finder).
This design feature enables businesses and citizens to easily identify addresses and check locations. – Yours, etc,
CLAIRE COLLINS,
Press Officer,
Department
of Communications,
Energy and Natural
Resources,
Adelaide Road,
Dublin 2.