Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome all the witnesses. I am not a member of this committee but the Oireachtas committees allow non-members to attend from time to time. Earlier I was across the corridor attending another committee where we were dealing with the issue of national car tests but I had to attend this committee meeting as discussing investment funds is very important.

A couple of weeks I was invited to visit the MABS office in Ennis, County Clare where I met Elaine Clifford and her excellent team. She is regional manager for Clare and Limerick MABS. I had never set foot inside a MABS office before but routinely my office sends people to MABS to get support for people who are struggling hugely. On the day of my visit I became aware that the dedicated mortgage advisers are on hand to help people struggling with mortgages. The staff deal with a very niche difficulty being experienced by people. Of course that assistance is appreciated by all the people. The great efforts by MABS staff keeps many people in homes at a time we have a national debate every day about homelessness and families struggling to keep a roof over their heads. On the flipside, a lot of people end up in the courts system because their debts are choking them. The presence of a DMA is very much appreciated by the courts system as well because, despite what people think, they too are human and do not want to face someone down in the witness dock and be punitive. Everyone wants to work out a nice solution.

My visit to the Ennis office was my first time meeting a DMA and I was hugely impressed by the caseload because that person is grappling with 130 cases at this time. I know that everyone talks about the topline figure of homelessness and the number of people looking for housing but to have to deal with 130 cases of people grappling with mortgage difficulties and guide them through that is immense.

The funding model for DMAs expires in November. I ask the MABS delegation to elaborate on where that issue is at and whether there is a need for DMAs to be retained on a permanent contract because they will quickly be headhunted by other industries and sectors that are starved for workers. I worry that we will lose these DM/as from MABS.