Postcode issued in name of dead man

Eircode has been branded a “disgrace” after a postcode was issued in the name of a man’s recently deceased father.

Furthermore, Eircode issued a second letter with a different postcode to the same house in Kilkenny, addressed to the man’s mother.

The incident raises a number of questions around the assurances given to the public following the launch of the postcode system last Monday.

Paul Kelly said that, having checked the codes against the Eircode site, he established the code sent in his father’s name was for an adjacent address in which he had never lived.

“Eircode appear to have access to personal information when they informed us all they had not,” Mr Kelly said. “The one addressed to my mother was correct, the one addressed to my late father was for the adjacent house. He never lived in the adjacent house. Without the postman’s local knowledge this letter would not have gotten to its intended recipient had he still been with us today.

“To me, it appears that, out of the blocks, Eircode is a disaster. I can’t fathom how many other families have gotten similar letters for their late fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, wives, children, or husbands. It’s a disgrace.”

However, Eircode claimed it sent the letters to the right place because the two addresses shared a letterbox — even thought the late Mr Kelly never lived at the house corresponding to the Eircode issued in his name.

Eircode reiterated a claim it did not hold personal information.

“An Post holds an address database, separate to the Eircode database which is effectively how the postman knows the address,” said a spokeswoman. “This is being used to help deliver letters to non-unique addresses and has been used to ensure the safe, accurate delivery of the Eircode letter.

“The Eircode database itself does not contain any names or personal information. We hope this has not caused Paul Kelly and his family any distress and if it has to please accept our apologies.”

Meanwhile, Siptu health division organiser Paul Bell yesterday called on the National Ambulance Service and the HSE to delay the introduction of the use of the Eircode system for ambulance professionals until the new postcodes have proven to be fit for purpose.

“We have been contacted by many of our members who have expressed major concerns at the rollout of Eircode,” said Mr Bell. “Our members have stated that they will use any system as long at they can be assured that the system is fit for purpose and has the confidence of the general public.

“Despite claims that ambulance professionals should use satellite navigation systems to get to the scene of an emergency that approach has been deemed to be unreliable in the UK.

“In some cases its use has resulted in tragic circumstances that could have been avoided.”