Another major life assurance company, Irish Life have a Plain English Policy in place. In 1998 they began working with plain English consultants in the UK so as to ensure that its literature is expressed in plain and simple terms. In the company's own words: "Using the plain English approach to writing means that Irish Life does not hide important information behind financial jargon or small print.". They point out that they were the first ever Irish based financial services company to achieve both the "Crystal Mark" (awarded by The Plain English Campaign) and also the "Honesty Mark" which is testament to their commitment to the use and promotion of plain language. Staff training on the use of plain English is widely implemented within Irish Life, this is supported by a "Plain English Jargon Buster" on their Intranet Site. At present they are rewriting all of their standard form letters which they will send to their plain English consultants for approval.

Banks

One of Ireland's major banks - the Bank of Ireland actively engages in the use of plain language. It avails of the services offered by plain language consultants in the U.K. - which they found to be "beneficial … and extremely thorough". As a result of this, some of the Bank's brochures now carry the "Crystal Mark".

While I am unable to report as much progress as I would like to, I feel that in Ireland we are making real progress towards eliminating the rhubarb and verbosity of times past. Until plain language has been embraced by all sectors of Irish society, the Irish public will have to battle with the complexity of terms and conditions, grapple with standard contracts and be baffled by standard type letters.

It is easy to become disillusioned with the slow speed at which plain language is being adopted. However, it is important to recognise that changing time-honoured practices and traditions is a slow and often difficult process. Though we would wish otherwise, it takes a considerable amount of time. Despite the fact that the benefits of plain language are undeniable and clear, in many cases the adoption of plain language requires active encouragement.

However, as I have outlined, the private sector has clearly taken a leading role in the adoption of plain language. The level of awareness and positive attitude towards plain language among businesses is very encouraging and augers well for the future of plain language in Ireland.