Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise with the Taoiseach the loss of face-to-face services and the curtailment of access to community amenities in public services. This is having a very significant impact on the well-being of communities, and in my constituency we have seen the continued closure of the Citizens Information centre in Rathmines. A public meeting I organised on this recently drew a huge crowd who were very concerned at the loss of this face-to-face service. Many people trying to deal with Government agencies find themselves unable to get any response, and facilities like Citizens Information centres are of great importance in this regard, as indeed are post offices. There is also great concern throughout the country about their closure. We have also seen the closure of jobs clubs and the tendering of local employment services, which is another example of the stripping away of public access to free services that deliver face-to-face engagement and which facilitate people in making contact with Government agencies.

Will the Taoiseach commit to ensuring the retention of face-to-face services and community facilities like Citizens Information centres that provide such an important point of contact and an important source of well-being for so many communities?

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