Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak to the motion. Three weeks ago, Angela Black and members of the Citizens Information Board, CIB, and MABS appeared before the Joint Committee on Public Petitions. Very few parliamentarians turned up that day, although Deputy Denise Mitchell was one of the few. The quality of the service we discussed was acknowledged by us all as second to none. That praise goes to the local people on the boards who spread the word of the availability of the services, how the sensitive nature of people's queries are handled and how the companies are managed in a professional manner tailored to the needs of local people. The passion of those who volunteer with the CIB goes to the very heart of the success of these boards. There are over 1,000 people in the CIS network who have the right to participate on local boards. In the proposed model, they will not be represented on the new regional boards. These regional boards will be remote and inaccessible.

The Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Leo Varadkar, said there should be no fear that the restructuring would quench the spirit of the CIB and there would be no reduction of services. That misses the point. The very spirit that the Minister praised is fuelled by those local board members in the first place. They are the diesel in the tank. The local connection of those who volunteer to ensure that these boards function is what makes them effective and successful companies in the first place. The work of local board members has been a lot more than "helpful", as the Minister described it. It has been critical.

In my home town of Navan, the CIB and MABS offices hold a dominant position at the top of the main street. The work of the board members makes them the successful service that they are. The key is not the shiny building but the knowledge of the locals who operate the boards. Like our political clinics and the services offered on the ground, it is the local board members who know the heartbeat of their towns best. When it comes to the decisions of what is best for Navan CIB or Navan MABS, I trust the people involved.

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