Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy's last point is important. Some people are advertising that they are debt collectors, but are giving the impression that they are almost doing it as a community service and that they are working closely with MABS. We are concerned about this and that is why we are ensuring that information on the MABS website and telephone line is well advertised. The service provided by MABS is free and confidential. It has trained money advisers who are able to negotiate on a person's behalf with the financial institutions. That is an important message to get across.

Of the 19 new posts that were sanctioned, seven are full-time and 12 are part-time. We broke it down that way in order to ensure a spread around the country, recognising that some offices are under more pressure than others are. Advisers have already been appointed to the offices in Galway south, Fingal, Tallaght, Waterford, Bray and Cork west. The rest should all be in place by the first week in December.

See this speech in context