A radical make-over of the Dáil and Seanad is to be undertaken to rid the institutions of their stuffy image and make them more accessible to the public.
The initiative comes in the wake of a survey which shows that almost two-thirds of Irish people do not regard the work of the Houses of the Oireachtas as important, while one-fifth do not know its role and functions.
The makeover is being undertaken by the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission in a three-year strategy aimed at giving the public "a rightful sense of ownership of the institution".
According to its communications strategy and implementation plan, seen by The Irish Times, there is a generally positive public view of the work rate of politicians and the efficiency of the Oireachtas, but "the lack of knowledge, combined with regular negative media comment, creates an unacceptably low level of respect for the institution and its members".
Central to the strategy is the appointment of a head of communications to co-ordinate the work of three specialist units - for media, education and marketing/information.
Two extra press officer staff will be employed to improve coverage of Oireachtas committees, and a weekly column explaining the work of TDs and senators will run in regional press.
Four outreach officers will bring the message of the Houses of the Oireachtas to schools. By the next election, it is hoped 40,000 young voters will have received an education about the workings of the Oireachtas.
A national Oireachtas week, a structured Oireachtas visitor programme, and branding of the Dáil and Seanad, are also planned.
The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission was established in 2005 and took over responsibility for the running of the Dáil and Seanad from the Department of Finance. It In 2006 it adopted a communications strategy and in spring of this year decided and agreed on a plan to implement it.
In an effort to find out how the public perceived the workings of the Dáil and Seanad, TNS/mrbi undertook a telephone poll of 1,000 people in September 2005 on behalf of the commission.
It showed 60 per cent of people did not regard the work of the Oireachtas as important. 43 per cent did not think it carried out its work efficiently. Some 53 per cent said they were not well-informed about the Oireachtas.