Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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Question 293: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the projected cost for the rebranding of Comhairle; if there has been consultation with users of the service on the rebranding of Comhairle; if so, the details of same; and the number of requests for information from Comhairle for the two most recent years for which figures are available. [17925/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Comhairle was established under the Comhairle Act, 2000. Its functions include the provision of independent information, advice and advocacy in relation to social services. Comhairle also has a particular responsibility to assist people with disabilities to identify their needs and access their entitlements.

Comhairle carries out its functions in the provision of information primarily through a nationwide network of Citizen Information Centres (CICs). The CICs are voluntary bodies providing full-time and part-time information services to the public at some 235 locations throughout the country. Over the past three years, Comhairle has been developing a strategy to strengthen the public profile of the information services provided by the CICs, by the Citizen Information Phone Service and via the OASIS website, through the development of the 'Citizens Information' brand as a common identifier for all three services.

The costs of any rebranding of Comhairle would have to be addressed by Comhairle within the resources available to it. Any additional resources sought by Comhairle for the initiative would fall to be considered by my Department in the context of the normal estimates and budgetary process.

I understand that Comhairle has been in discussion with the CICs about the re-design of the Citizens Information brand and that a number of briefing sessions have been held with the national network of citizens information centres about a new logo.

Details of requests for information to the CICs, Citizens Information Phone Service and via the OASIS website are set out. Citizens Information Centres 2004, 676,755; 2005, 733,879. Citizens Information Phone Service 2004, 65,214; e-mail, 7,759; 2005 76,762; e-mail, 11,162. In 2004 and 2005 respectively there were 1.8m and 2.4m visits to www.oasis.gov.ie by users of the service.