We thank Ms Elaine Thian Phek Mooi for her feedback ("Too much personal data needed to receive letter"; Jan 10).

Our registered mail service is a "signed-for" service in which delivery is confirmed by the recipient's acknowledgement.

To authenticate the identity of the recipient in the event of a dispute about delivery, our postmen would ask for the IC number of the person receiving the item. If requested by the recipient, we accept the last four digits and end letter of the IC number instead.

We are ensuring that this approach of recording only the last four digits and end letter of the IC number is adhered to by all postmen.

We seek the public's cooperation in helping us verify delivery of registered mail.

Signed delivery slips are retained for six months to facilitate inquiries. Our postmen and all SingPost staff receive training on the Personal Data Protection Act. Circulars about safeguarding the personal data of our customers are sent out regularly to all staff.

We apologise to Ms Thian for the inconvenience caused. As part of our commitment to delivering quality service, we continually review our processes to meet the evolving needs of our customers.

Bryan Lee

Assistant Vice-President

Group Communications

SingPost