Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am asking this question on behalf of Deputy Cahill. I think this is the first opportunity I have had to congratulate the Minister on the negotiations in regard to the budget. For the second year in a row, the combination of once-off payments and increases in core rates has led the ESRI to state that these changes have kept people ahead of inflation. Given international rates of inflation, as well as those here, this is an achievement. At the same time, it gives us the flexibility to row back on this when inflation changes. There will be a cliff edge there for us at some point in respect of trying to ensure we keep pace in this regard, but the Minister has handled this aspect well so far. When that cliff edge does arrive, therefore, I do not doubt that she will be able to handle it with the same sense of fairness.

This question relates to citizens' information centres. It came on foot of a number of queries from several Fianna Fáil back benchers regarding the closure of citizens information centres, namely, in Wicklow, Stillorgan and Rathmines. Will the Minister address the issue of the reduction in services since the onset of Covid-19?

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