Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the work of Deputy Willie O'Dea in bringing forward this motion which reflects the enormous concerns among the volunteer staff in MABS and the Citizens Information centres around the country. People would have been adrift in the past few years but for MABS. I recently asked the Minister in a parliamentary question to outline the plan to centralise the operations of the MABS and the CICs. The first line of the Minister's reply states: "[It] is important to note that the Citizens Information Board, CIB, assures me 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 programme. Most importantly, there will be no disruption to CIS and MABS services for those who use them". This is the kind of language that has proved over time to be misleading. What does the Minister mean when he says, "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 programme"? This is the problem. The Minister has been told several times tonight if it is not broke do not fix it. Where is the cost benefit analysis of the valuable service they give? Why is there so much centralisation of everything? We spent years trying to decentralise things.

I want a value for money audit carried out of the extreme value and lifeline support given by MABS and the CICs. There has been attack after attack, first on the community welfare officers, now post offices and this area, and local government. What have the Minister and Fine Gael got against the people outside the Pale? The attacks are relentless. As the Minister of State from the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Seán Kyne, is sitting beside the Minister for Social Protection I have to say I cannot imagine what it is like on the islands. The Minister should withdraw his draconian amendment because it is ridiculous and support Deputy Willie O'Dea’s motion.

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