Councillor Andrew McGuinness is taking advantage of internet social networking and is launching an online clinic via Facebook to commence Saturday.
He is the first public representative in the country to launch an online clinic where constituents can express their views and have their queries dealt with in private from the comfort of their own homes.
With thousands of Kilkenny people already signed up to Facebook, Cllr McGuinness hopes to offer them an online version of the constituency office he shares with TD John McGuinness, at O’Loughlin Road.
“It’s important to move with the times and to continue to offer constituents an efficient service. More and more people are signing up to Facebook every day and realising the endless possibilities and benefits the site has. I want to give people the opportunity to visit a local politician with their concerns from the comfort of their own homes,” said Cllr Andrew McGuinness.
Local members of Facebook can log on to www.facebook.com/cllrandrewmcguinness every Saturday from 11am until 1pm and simply open a chat box and type in their query. Councillor McGuinness will be able to respond instantly and record the query so it can be dealt with.
“I hold a clinic at O’Loughlin Road every Wednesday from 10.30am until 1pm and my father has his clinic every Saturday from 10.30am until 1pm, but many people are not able to make those times so the online version is for those people who want to speak with their local politician in privacy without leaving their homes,” said Cllr McGuinness.
“Since I joined Facebook I have used the site to generate feedback on various local issues and keep informed as to what local people want and what their views are. I receive a lot of queries from the site and it’s a great way to keep in direct contact with people. Using Facebook as on online clinic is a natural progression and I hope it gives people a service they can benefit from,” he said.
