Sir, – The closure of the Rathmines Citizens Information Centre in Dublin is just another nail in the coffin of freedom to access information for the citizen.
This is happening all over the country and has been actively pursued by the board of CIS for several years. Moving this service online is effectively stopping large swathes of our citizens from accessing their information as many of our citizens for many reasons cannot access or use computers and therefore need the one citizen to another service which up to now has been their lifeline.
Computers can never replace the human empathy and advice shared by the volunteers. This must stop and I ask the Minister for Social Protection to act and protect this service.
– Yours, etc,
GERRY ASHE PC,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.