Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

This is in the context of looking for the mortgage interest supplement. If their mortgage repayments can be put on hold or renegotiated, that would also be a help. The mortgage interest supplement is something on which people can fall back. The scheme is being reviewed in order to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of the maximum number of people possible.

We put forward suggestions as to what people should do with regard to their debt and that is the reason we have the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, MABS. It is a wonderful operation and provides advice to people on how to cope with their debts. The number of visits to MABS has increased significantly. The budget for MABS this year is €18 million. The service operates from 65 locations throughout the country and also offers a national telephone helpline. I urge Deputies to recommend this helpline to people they know in need of help because it is very efficient and is available from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday to Friday. The service also has a website that can be accessed 24 hours a day.

In 2008, over 16,000 new clients approached MABS for assistance with debt difficulties and the telephone helpline dealt with almost 11,000 callers. Up to the end of February this year, 3,400 new clients approached the service and over 4,200 calls were received on the telephone helpline. Some 252 staff have been allocated to the MABS service, so that it can provide vital money advice and assistance services all over the country. Deputy Noonan made a valuable suggestion earlier about renegotiating mortgages and people with particular skills. I will see if I can accommodate that.

See this speech in context