We are delighted to be here today and I thank members for the opportunity to make the presentation. It is quite a simple matter. The Make Small Print Big Print campaign was instituted on foot of concerns expressed by a large number of listeners to our Dublin radio station, Q102. I am sure members will agree it noteworthy that the course of action taken by so many confused, angry and bewildered consumers was to contact a local radio station. We welcome the interaction and we believe this enterprise to be a fine example of public service from an independent radio service. We are here on behalf of the listeners and the consumers of Dublin.
The Make Small Print Big Print campaign began just a few weeks ago in March. In the weeks prior to this we received a large volume of questions and queries from exasperated listeners - people who complained they could neither read the small print in the terms and conditions put in front of them nor understand the language used. We asked listeners to send examples of such material to us at the station and when we examined them in detail, it was clear there were two issues, essentially, at play; namely, the physical size of the font used and the opaque nature of the terms and language employed. Two colloquial sayings are relevant: "The devil is in the detail", and good old "caveat emptor”.
Small print is everywhere, from the mundane such as a simple camera guarantee to the complex such as signing one's life away for a mortgage, if one can get one nowadays. Appendix 1 contains an agreement for cable and broadband services which we have reproduced for members. It is well nigh impossible to decipher the text due to the small font size used. What chance does one have of understanding what it means? Few will spot the devil in that detail. I ask members to pay attention also to the overall effect of the badly chosen combination of grey font and green background, which exacerbates the problem. If the small print is so important, why is it never big enough to read? Appendix 3 shows an extract from an agreement for a home security monitoring service. This minuscule seven-point font is difficult to read, even with the aid of a magnifying glass. The lack of contrast between the text and the background and the jargon riddled language shows members exactly why we are before the committee.
We have received much support in our campaign, for which we are grateful. We are grateful to the many progressive organisations and public representatives who have chosen to support the campaign, including the Dublin City Business Association and the Small Firms Association. We have provided further detail in this regard. I would particularly like to mention the work of the Consumers Association of Ireland and its chief executive, Mr. Dermott Jewell. Members of the CAI were always helpful, encouraging and supportive and were our first port of call with this matter. Just yesterday we received a communication from our newest supporter, the Fighting Blindness organisation. This Irish charity funds world leading research into cures and treatments for blindness in six universities throughout the country. Fighting Blindness joins us in the Make Small Print Big Print campaign. In addition, members of the public have chosen to sign up with us. We have a selection of petition sheets with us. These are from our work on the streets with the Dublin radio station Q102. Our campaign enjoys support from a broad range of groups and individuals and we are all increasingly weary of the status quo. The time for action is now.
What needs to be done? I will mention four points. Irish law should specify that a simple, plain typeface with a standardised font size be employed in all terms and conditions. This should apply to service agreements, financial and loan agreements and guarantee documentation - in fact, all the places in which one finds the ubiquitous small print. On this matter we sought the advice of the Association of Optometrists Ireland and were informed that a font size of any less than ten point is not considered optimal for most people. Let us have that standard ten-point font. We were further advised that to aid legibility, nothing should be reproduced in a script typeface and that the printed background must be of maximum contrast. Good old black and white would be a way to think about this.
Second, all terms and conditions should be written in plain, accessible English. Jargon and abbreviations should be avoided and all industry specific terms should be clearly defined. Naturally, the larger specified font size could result in greater volumes of paper being used, which is a big consideration for all of us in these times of climate change. However, we believe printing on both sides of the page in a new, minimalist, plain English language style might help in this regard. Greater use could be made of on-line resources. All terms and conditions should be made available via the Internet for universal access.
I thank the Chairman and committee members for their attention. The issue is clear and the solution simple. I ask the committee to help us make small print big print.