asked the Minister for the Public Service if he will consider setting up a Government Information Service in each of the major cities and towns to facilitate the public with information which should be readily available to them and thereby reduce the need for public representatives to be the main source of such information.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Information on State Services.
14.
I accept the underlying theme in the Deputy's question, that information about services provided by the State should be much more accessible to the public than at present. It is my aim to ensure that this becomes a reality.
In the recently published White Paper on the Public Service, "Serving the Country Better", paragraph 6.4 states that:
... in an effort to inform citizens of the services which are available to them, Government inquiry offices will be established, initially in Dublin and, later on, in local centres.
The paragraph adds that, "the possibility of having local authorities provide a wide range of information on the services available from both local and central Government will be urgently examined".
The preparatory work necessary to enable the decision on Government inquiry offices to be implemented is being undertaken urgently within my Department.
Examination of the involvement of local authorities in the provision of information is also under way. This work is at an early stage yet and necessitates discussions with the local authorities and the various Government Departments.
I am aware of the Minister's concern to make this principle work. He has already succeeded in doing away with the concept of the nameless civil servant by insisting on them identifying themselves. With regard to the question of lunch time opening of major offices in Dublin city, I should like to ask the Minister to provide a limited service because it seems that major Departments, without naming any particular Department, cease providing a service at lunch time, particularly sections that deal with the public. People are not always in a position to get time off to call to a Department to collect or deliver a form.
The Deputy will probably be aware that that matter was also addressed in the White Paper. The White Paper set out the Government's intention to ensure that offices which are major centres used by the public will be open during lunch hour and, perhaps, at a later time in the evening in order to facilitate those who are in employment during normal office hours. Discussions are fairly well advanced in negotiations which it is hoped will bring about that type of opening which will be designed to suit the public as much as possible.