Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

While it is not my area and I am not fully up to speed on this, I do appreciate that providing services in Arklow and Bray is not the same kind of support for people living in Wicklow town. At the same time, they really have tried to make sure there is as much support available as possible while the service is not immediately available in the town. Arklow Citizens Information centre is open for drop-in callers on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. Appointments are also available. Callers can also ring the service Monday to Friday with their queries from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bray Citizens Information centre is open for drop-in callers on Mondays to Thursdays from 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. They can also ring with their queries from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are also different types of clinics in Bray including free legal advice, chartered accountants, voluntary advice and a domiciliary care allowance specialist service. I appreciate it is not where people necessarily want it but there is still a lot of service being provided. I think people really have tried to make sure that is available to as many people as possible, particularly those whose service has been closed.

I cannot give the Deputy a timeframe but what I can say is that we all have to work within our budgets. We know that when a budget is set for a particular year, unless there is an underspend it is hard to rearrange that money. What is important in this response is that the Department of Social Protection is working with the CIB and having discussions in respect of future funding. It is looking at it in the context of the CIB's funding for 2022. I hope, as I am sure do the Deputy and those who rely on this service, that it will be successful for this year's funding. I will ask the Minister to come back to the Deputy if she can provide more clarity on the exact timeframe and sequencing of events.

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