Seirbhís Thithe an Oireachtais Houses of the Oireachtas Service. Customer Charter

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1 Strategic Plan 8pg REV7 21/01/ :11 Page 1 Seirbhís Thithe an Oireachtais Houses of the Oireachtas Service Customer Charter

2 The Houses of the Oireachtas Service Customer charter The Houses of the Oireachtas Service is committed to providing a quality service to all our customers. These include: Members of the Houses (TDs and Senators) and their staff visitors the general public people attending meetings on the premises our staff and those of Government departments. What we do Our role is to support parliament to achieve the democratic interests of Irish people both through: enabling the Dáil and Seanad, their committees and their members to carry out their parliamentary business, and meeting TDs and Senators needs as public representatives in relation to parliamentary business. Our standards Consultation We consult with TDs and Senators and other customers to identify the services they need. If we have the resources, we then address any gaps in our service. Action plan Our service standards are detailed in the Customer Service Action Plan. You will find the plan on the Oireachtas website. You can give feedback on the website to help us ensure that we meet these standards. Monitoring We will regularly monitor and update our standards. We will also report to the Partnership Committee every year on the feedback we receive about our service. This Committee is made up of representatives of management, staff and trade unions. We will act on this feedback as needed. 1

3 Equality and diversity We will give all our customers the same standard of treatment when delivering our services. We will comply with Equality legislation, the Disability Act 2005 and the Code of Practice for the Employment of People with a Disability in the Irish Civil Service. We will comply with the Official Languages Act 2003 and try to facilitate customers who wish to do their business through Irish. Communicating with customers Phone calls We will respond promptly to all calls and give our name when we answer the phone. We will respond to voic messages. If we are out of the office, we will provide an alternative contact person. Correspondence We will reply to letters and s within 15 working days. We will update you on the progress within 15 working days if we have not given you a final reply. When we are out of the office, we will send an automatic response to s giving an alternative contact person. Our website We will publish clear information on all aspects of the operation of the Houses of the Oireachtas on our website including: Dáil and Seanad debates records of meetings of Committees live broadcasts webcasts archives of proceedings. We aim to ensure that the Houses of the Oireachtas website is up to date and information is easily accessible. Information service We will provide a comprehensive information service to national and international media and to the public. 2

4 We comply with the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 1997 and the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Act If you would like to ask for information under the terms of the Act you should contact the Freedom of Information Officer at: , phone, (01) You can download a Freedom Of Information manual to help find out how to make a freedom of information (FOI) request from our website: Access to Leinster House Visitors We will provide opportunities for members of the public to visit the Houses of the Oireachtas and to attend events. We aim to make it easy for you to access the Houses of the Oireachtas. At the same time, we must ensure safety, security and privacy. For information on access to Leinster House, including any special needs, contact the Access Officer at: phone, (01) , access@oireachtas.ie You can find out how to arrange visits and tours of the Houses of the Oireachtas on our website: Oireachtas meetings We look after certain meetings like Oireachtas Committee meetings, meetings with officials or with TDs or Senators. We will give adequate notice of meetings and the relevant contact person, including: address phone number. If you are attending a meeting, we will: arrange for your security clearance in advance if you give us your details in good time send you any public committee meeting documents before the meeting. We will invite witnesses to attend Committee meetings by post or . 3

5 We will publish the transcript of the proceedings of public meetings of committees on our website. Feedback about our services We welcome your feedback on our services. You can tell us what you think in a number of ways, including: an online comment form a visitor feedback form customer consultation through surveys and interviews school outreach evaluation forms. Comments and complaints If you are unhappy with any aspect of our service please tell us and we will try to fix the problem. To find out about formal complaints and appeals procedures please see our website or contact the Customer Service Officer (details below). You can also submit the Customer Comments and Complaints Form online. Please note: our complaints procedure only covers the services provided by us. It does not cover complaints about TDs and Senators or political parties. phone: (01) Customer service contact website: customerservice@oireachtas.ie 4

6 Glossary The Houses of the Oireachtas Service The Public Service body that administers the national pariament of Ireland. Oireachtas The national parliament of Ireland which consists of the President, Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann. Leinster House The building which contains both houses of the Oireachtas. Dáil Éireann Known as the Dáil for short. The lower house of the Oireachtas. Seanad Éireann Known as the Seanad for short, the upper house of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament). TD (or deputy) A member of Dáil Éireann. Senator A member of Seanad Éireann. Partnership Committee A committee made up of representatives of management, staff and trade unions to involve staff in change and modernisation. 5