The adoption of plain language in Ireland is making slow but steady progress. My experience would seem to suggest that an organisation's positive view of plain language is not always apparent from their activities or output. As a consequence, in order to ascertain the views of many organisations, I had to engage in communication directly with them.

There appear to be a number of stages which an organisation goes through prior to adopting plain language - awareness of plain language and a favourable attitude towards plain language being two key steps. All of the businesses and organisations which I contacted were aware of the drive towards plain language. Also, they were all receptive and very positive about the role which they see plain language playing in their organisation. Of the organisations which I contacted, only a small number had a tangible plain language policy in place. The others strongly favoured and actively encouraged its use. The development of a policy is a significant step along the road towards attaining plain language - and many of the organisations which I contacted are moving firmly in that direction.

It might be reasonable to expect that on a subject as important as plain language, that the Government might take a leading approach. However, in Ireland this has not been the case. The private sector have clearly taken a lead in the adoption of plain language. Our Government have not yet published a policy on plain language. Despite the absence of an identifiable policy on plain language, virtually all of the leaflets and guides published by the various Government Departments are written in a plain and reader-friendly way. For example, the following is an extract from a brochure produced by the Department of the Environment on planning legislation:

What is a protected structure?
A protected structure is a structure that a local authority considers to be of special interest from an architectural, historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural, scientific, social or technical point of view. Details of protected structures are entered by the authority in its Record of Protected Structures, which is part of the Development Plan. Each owner and occupier of a protected structure is legally obliged to ensure that the structure is preserved.

How does an owner or occupier know which works require planning permission?
An owner or occupier of a protected structure may request the local authority to issue a declaration indicating the types of works that could be carried out without affecting the character of the structure or any element of the structure which contributes to its special interest. These works would not require planning permission. A local authority will, in general, issue such a declaration within three months of receiving a request."²