In another example of blatant wastage, the setup of the Eircode system cost €20 million more than originally budgeted for.
The final figure released is €38 million, which is a far cry from the original €18m estimated. And in fact, these estimates were done for a different system to the one actually implemented.
Though widely considered a useless and unnecessary gimmick by most, the Secretary General of the Department of Communications said many public bodies were actually using Eircode, and more would do so in the future.