Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would like the House to look at the citizens information centres and how we might go about ensuring the continuation of these vital service providers. There are a number of these centres around the country offering a diverse range of services to anyone who is in need of them - tax and money services, free legal advice, immigration assistance and Workplace Relations Commission issues. The importance of these centres cannot be overstated yet many fear they are going the same way as the humble post office, with people thinking that if they do not use it, it cannot be that important. In the same way, however, not everyone orders online from Amazon or Etsy, and not everyone has the capability to join a Zoom conference or do DIY research on tax or immigration law. That is why these services exist - to help those people who have no recourse to alternative measures.

It would be appear the Citizens Information Board, the statutory body under the remit of the Department of Social Protection, is implementing a switch, becoming mainly a telephone and website service and failing in the delivery of the traditional face-to-face consultations which have served the people of Ireland very well. The centre in Rathmines was one of the busiest in Dublin, serving Dublin 2, 4 and 6, and anyone could call into it. That centre closed on 22 April and will not be replaced. The paid staff were told of its closure only a week before it closed. Closures also happened recently in Enniscorthy and Wicklow town, and I am told the Crumlin centre is similarly under threat. Buildings used for these centres are seeing their leases run out, with no attempt at renewal and no effort to find alternative premises.

If this trend continues, the service of face-to-face meetings with experienced people in the user's locality will effectively end. This would be especially hard for rural dwellers with limited broadband and limited public transport. I do not need to remind the House there are 500,000 people in this country who can neither read nor write. For that reason, we would do well to invite the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, to the House to see what we can do to ensure future access to the services.