Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I take the Deputy's point that libraries can be controlled fairly well and I know that the Local Government Management Agency, LGMA, and the local authority chief executives have asked for libraries to operate contact and collect at level 4. They have made proposals and we are happy to bring those proposals to the Department of the Taoiseach and NPHET for consideration. I absolutely accept the point the Deputy makes, that it is hard to see the risks in click and collect. Since the beginning of the pandemic the Department has provided €400,000 for the purchase of additional ebooks and e-audiobooks to meet the rising demand for these services. Library users now have access to an extensive online catalogue: more than 48,000 ebooks and 33,000 e-audiobooks, 4,000 magazines, 2,400 online newspapers from over 100 countries, more than 500 elearning courses and more than 100 online language courses. I myself did not realise the libraries were offering such a wonderful service - it is fantastic - but I take the Deputy's point that not everybody is online.

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