Rise in queries to citizens information boards

The number of people seeking information on social welfare entitlements and employment rights at citizens informationcentres …

The number of people seeking information on social welfare entitlements and employment rights at citizens informationcentres rose by 24 per cent during the first six months of the year, according to new figures.

Launching its 2008 annual report this afternoon, the Citizens Information Board said it received 136,745 queries throught its information helpline last year, a rise of 9 per cent when compared to 2007.

Almost 700,000 people visited the body's 111 information centres presenting with 957,044 queries. In addition, over 2.5 million people visited the citizensinformation.ie website.

Overall, the number of queries received by the Citizens Informations Board in 2008 totalled 957,044, was up 7.5 per cent on the previous year.

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The organisation said that while the majority of queries received

related to social welfare, employment rights was the next highest category followed by health.

Charlie Taylor

Charlie Taylor

Charlie Taylor is a former Irish Times business journalist