Attorney General encourages lawyers to use plain English

Séamus Woulfe

He told a conference organised by the National Adult Literacy Agency in Dublin: “Low literacy levels are much more common than often thought, and this should be more widely recognised in the legal system.”

Mr Woulfe added: “The law is an example of an area where the language used can be confusing for individuals, whether due to unfamiliar phrases or unusual practices.

“While accuracy and precision must be achieved, possible plain language should be used.”

The Attorney General also suggested that the Law Reform Commission, whose 1999 paper on plain language led to the Interpretation Act 2005, should look at the issue of plain English again.

He concluded: “It is good to see conferences such as this which aim to highlight what both legal and non-legal systems an organisations can do to better help all individuals to fully understand what is being communicated to them.”