Vol. 483 No. 4
13 Mr. Sargent asked the Taoiseach if he intends to review the process in which advertisements for the purpose of Government information are compiled, in terms of their form and content, in view of continuing public criticism that these advertisements are neither readable nor user-friendly. [20242/97]
I believe the Deputy's question is prompted mainly by the critical comments made on the advertisements about the recent referendum to amend the Constitution.
The difficulties presented on that occasion for large sections of the general public were undoubtedly related to the complex issues involved which did not lend themselves to easy, simple explanation in the form of an advertisment. Nevertheless, the lessons are being absorbed and I am determined that we will not have a repeat of that experience in promoting debate on major public policy issues in future.
I am confident the issues raised by the Deputy can be addressed in the new quality customer service initiative for the Civil Service. As indicated in reply to questions last week, I launched the customer service action plan for my own Department on 12 November and the plans of the other participating Departments and offices will be published over the coming weeks up to the end of the year.
