Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 2:

To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following:wholeheartedly commends the important work undertaken by the Citizens Information Board, CIB, together with its network of delivery partner services, including the Citizens Information service, CIS, and the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, MABS, in fulfilling its statutory remit to provide information, advice, iincluding money advice and budgeting advice, and advocacy services on a wide range of public and social services for citizens across the country;

notes:

- the decision taken by the statutory board of the CIB, on 15 February 2017, to restructure the governance arrangements from ninety three individual local service company boards to a new 16 company board model, to bring the CIS and MABS better into line with modern public service governance guidelines and requirements;

and

- the CIB’s key assurance that there will be no job losses, no closure of services, no change to service delivery locations and no change to the terms and conditions of serving staff during the lifetime of the restructuring;

recognises that the decision taken by the statutory board of the CIB is for improved governance reasons due to the significant State funding involved and will in no way reduce access to, or the range of, services available to citizens;

acknowledges that the restructured model is necessary to assist the CIB in its compliance with the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies and the implementation of recommendations from the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General;

agrees that the decision taken by the statutory board of the CIB is in keeping with successive strategic plans of the board, including the current strategic plan for the period 2015 to 2018, which in accordance with governing legislative provisions was submitted to, and approved by, the Minister for Social Protection, and subsequently noted by Government and laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas in January 2016;

further recognises the work carried out by the employed staff of MABS and the employees and many volunteers who work in the CIS countrywide;

acknowledges the input of the volunteer boards of the CIS and MABS companies to date and notes that those with the necessary skills and expertise can remain involved by putting themselves forward for consideration as members of the new regional boards;

welcomes the undertaking of the CIB to conduct a full cost-benefit analysis of the 16 regional company model;

further acknowledges the CIB’s commitment to ongoing consultation through the establishment of a restructuring implementation group comprising members of the board of the CIB and representatives of the local network of the CIS, MABS and CIB staff members;

further welcomes the intention of the CIB to engage in constructive, structured dialogue with the relevant representative bodies in the context of moving to the new restructured governance arrangements; and

further notes that the Attorney General has advised that the Minister for Social Protection does not have power to instruct the CIB in its day to day operations and, specifically, does not have the power to order a reversal of a decision such as the restructuring of its governance arrangements.

I am pleased to have the opportunity to discuss the restructuring plans of the Citizens Information Board, CIB. I record my acknowledgement of the invaluable work carried out by the employees and volunteers working in the ClS and MABS offices all around Ireland. There has been some concern in recent weeks that the restructuring plans of the CIB will in some way quench the spirit of these locally provided services. Let me assure the House that the CIB has no plans to reduce or limit the service offered by the CIS and MABS now or at a future date. The CIB does not intend to close any service delivery locations or reduce the numbers of staff who, on a daily basis deal, with the information or money and debt advice needs of people right across the country. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Rather, the CIB has an ambitious strategic vision for the development and promotion of the CIS and MABS, the enhancement and extension of service offerings and an increased focus on front-line delivery.

As there appears to be much confusion about the intentions of the CIB, I want to explain the context within which the decision to restructure the governance arrangements of CIS and MABS was taken by the board. It was not a Government decision. At present, each of the 93 individual companies is responsible for the provision of the services of either the CIS or MABS within their local areas. The CIB's efforts to have modern service needs assessed and met in a timely, flexible and effective way is often hampered by the unwieldy governance structure of 93 individual companies. Implementing a more efficient, streamlined model means there will be 16 rather than 93 touch points for the CIB with nationwide services; eight for CIS services and eight for MABS. The board believes this will result in faster, more responsive two-way communications to and from the CIB as it tries to respond to service delivery needs or gaps. The modernised structure will assist the CIB to gather data and information more efficiently from services and to facilitate more effective dissemination of information and updates. It must be remembered that all CIS and MABS offices country wide are entirely funded by the Exchequer. A more streamlined service delivery model will assist the CIB in the fulfilment of its statutory obligations, its compliance with the code of practice for governance of State bodies and its implementation of recommendations from the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General.

According to the board, as of the 31 December 2016, there are 496 permanent staff, 225 scheme participants and 1,079 part-time volunteers involved in providing direct services to the public across the network of 93 services. The 93 service delivery companies have an average of 9.2 people serving on each board across the network. If one examines the MABS company structure more closely, it is difficult to understand why there is a need for 450 board members to cover 51 MABS companies, with an approximate staff compliment of 250. That is more than two board members for each staff member. In addition, many board members have been on a board for decades and this is no longer considered best governance practice. However, it is widely recognised, especially in local communities, that the input of local voluntary company board members who are in tune with the needs of the local people has been helpful in the development of services to date. In recognition of the ethos of local community involvement, the CIB intends to set up local advisory groups where members of local communities can continue to contribute their expertise and help, to guide the development and changing service offering of the CIS and MABS. the CIB has also assured me that serving board members will be entitled to put themselves forward for selection as members of the new 16 regional boards.

What does this mean for service users? A reduced number of boards will improve the ability of board members to appropriately discharge their duties as directors and to implement performance management and quality assurance. Additionally, companies organised on a regional basis will allow for the development of specialist expertise and knowledge which could be shared across a region. Similarly, it will be easier for a regional company to respond as a unit to significant events, for example, by providing additional advisers in an area in response to flooding. When new Government initiatives are announced, there can be immediate dialogue with the 16 companies to agree how best to implement them, leading to an improved response rate for service users than the current procedure where all 93 boards have to consider their response at their next board meeting. This can lead to sporadic delayed implementation of service improvements. The board is also concerned about a number of operational inconsistencies. One of the most obvious to service users is the lack of standard opening times across services. Another is staff workload inconsistencies that persist across the network, as local service managers have no opportunity to distribute work more fairly, particularly in services where only a few staff are employed. Caseloads that can be managed on a shared regional basis will empower managers to resolve these issues, provide better customer service and reduce service waiting times where they exist. The board is keen to achieve greater consistency in the quality and speed of service delivery. This is difficult under the current structure as all 93 companies operate independently.

The decision taken by the statutory board of the CIB on 15 February comes after years of consultation and examination of options. I welcome the board's commitment to continue to engage in constructive dialogue with stakeholders to move to the new restructured governance arrangements. The next step is the establishment of a restructuring implementation group to examine all aspects of implementing the new 16 board model. This work will include a cost benefit analysis involving examination of the establishment costs of any new structure and the potential for future savings from the reduction in the administrative burden associated with 93 individual local companies. While cost is not the driver, and it is acknowledged that some set up costs will be incurred, there are likely to be some efficiencies gained in the medium term from moving to a reduced 16 company model.

In the motion there is a call on me, as Minister for Social Protection, to invoke the power under section 9 of the Citizens Information Act 2007 to direct the board to halt its implementation of the Government's restructuring plan. Even if I were minded to direct the board to set aside its decision of 15 February 2017, I clarify for the House that I have no such power. For the avoidance of doubt, this has been confirmed by the Office of the Attorney General.

The CIB, as a statutory body, has the authority to make decisions on its day-to-day operational activities as it sees fit, and it would not be lawful or appropriate for me, as Minister, to intervene in such a decision already taken by the board. I am confident the membership of the board has made an important decision that it believes is in the best interest of the citizens of the State, whom it serves. I therefore urge Deputies to support the amendment I have submitted and accept the assurances therein.

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