The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the National Disability Authority, the Passport Service and AIB were among the organisations recognised for presenting their information clearly in plain English.

Inez Bailey, CEO of NALA, said: “We developed these awards as we want to create a public preference for organisations that choose to communicate in plain English. Everyone benefits from clear information, written in plain language. Citizens are more likely to understand their rights, organisations are more likely to save money and governments are more likely to make better use of their resources.

We would like to congratulate the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the National Disability Authority, the Passport Service and AIB. They have won this award for thinking of the people who use their services and putting them first.”

Declan Black, managing partner at Mason Hayes & Curran, said: “We strongly support the use of plain English and are very pleased to sponsor these awards.

“Our job as lawyers often involves explaining complex information. We seek to do that clearly by using simple but accurate language. This approach applies particularly to the advice we give clients but also when we present a client’s position to another party or to a court.

“In our view, a good lawyer is always clear, accurate and, where possible, brief. We hope that our support of this award contributes to the use of plain language in everyday communications and we congratulate the winners on a job well done.”