The Customer Charter Initiative was launched in December 2002 as part of the Quality Customer Service Initiative. Customer Action Plans and Charters describe the level of service a customer can expect from a Government Department or Office, and set out the process by which these standards are assessed and evaluated. More information on the Customer Charter Initiative can be found here. Quality Customer Service Officers, who attend meetings of the Quality Customer Service Network, oversee customer service standards in their organisation, including producing Customer Action Plans and Charters.

In December 2022, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform published a revised and updated Guidelines for Customer Action Plans and Charters.

These revised and updated Guidelines give Public Sector organisations a practical guide to as they develop, update, refine and publish Customer Action Plans and Charters.