Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

We are currently getting regular radio advertisements and other advertisements from the Government Information Service, GIS, indicating to people that support is available for them if they are impacted by the cost-of-living crisis. The problem is that people who are impacted by that crisis are often very uncertain about these fairly general announcements and need a human being they can go and see to explain the often complex and difficult circumstances in which they find themselves when they are applying for things such as the exceptional needs payment. As I have repeatedly raised along with others in this House, we do not have, as we used to, a drop-in community welfare service, where people could go and talk to the community welfare officer, or the relieving officer as they used to be known, and explain their very specific circumstances rather than having to make appointments, which may not be for a few weeks' time, or do things online, which is often difficult for elderly people or other cohorts. While it is all very well having general advertisements and announcements saying people may be entitled to this or that assistance for the cost-of-living crisis, the reality is that if there is not somebody in the community welfare office whom people can drop in to and see on the day, they often struggle and have great difficulty in accessing the supports that may be there. Will the Taoiseach do something as a matter of urgency about returning the drop-in community welfare service to every area so that people can go down on a given day, see a community welfare officer and explain their situation to him or her?

See this speech in context