Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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I commend and highlight the fantastic work of the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, MABS. It provides an invaluable resource to many of my constituents, as I am sure it does to those of the Minister of State and other Members. I had the pleasure of visiting the MABS office in Ennis recently on the Clare Road, which I understand is one of 60 offices providing this essential service nationally. I met two of the fantastic team of three people there, who informed me that MABS has been operating in County Clare for 31 years. This is something to be very proud of. I was astounded, however, to learn that the office started with three staff 31 years ago and there are still only three staff there. Why is this the case?

MABS informed me that in the past year, demand for its services has increased by a whopping 44%. Given we are at the epicentre of a cost-of-living crisis, no one can envision that number going down this year or next. Interest rates are rising and have been for the past several months. The Cabinet today also announced the end of the eviction moratorium, so our thoughts are now with the individuals and families this decision will impact. MABS will undoubtedly receive a huge influx of queries from people in need and in desperation.

As the Minister of State knows, the Departments of Justice and Social Protection jointly fund the provision of dedicated mortgage advisors in these MABS offices through the Abhaile scheme. In January of this year, the dedicated mortgage adviser in my constituency of Clare handled 115 cases. In the entirety of the previous year, approximately 150 cases had been dealt with. Almost the same number of cases, therefore, were dealt with in one month as in the entire previous year. With all of this in mind, it can only be imagined how angry I was to learn that the funding for these fantastic roles is not certain; far from it. These positions are funded on a year-by-year basis and these terrific mortgage advisers go to work in January not knowing if they will have a job come December. The fact that this scheme is only extended on a 12-month basis, despite the past seven years of the project demonstrating the clear need for permanent State-funded assistance in this area, is madness. Can we not put it in place, and if demand then plummets, that can be addressed? Would that not be a better than what has been happening up until now? That makes sense.

The funding for this current year was only announced in November 2022, even though the announcement was promised in June 2022. To add insult to the injury of this significant delay, it was not announced internally but on the national news instead. There is also the major issue of funding being reduced in 2023. Funding this year was reduced by 20% but inflation has increased by 10%. This means a real-life reduction of more than 30%. This is a serious matter and will have a significant knock-on impact for development spending, such as social research, money management education, planning and evaluation, staff training and development. Caps on specific spending will result in the closure of outreach offices and this is a legitimate fear.

In a response to a recent parliamentary question, the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, confirmed that a strategic review of this scheme was ongoing, with a view to being completed by the end of the first quarter of 2023. Now that we are only weeks away from this point, I request an update on where we are with the situation here and now and the Minister of State to confirm whether this scheme will be extended beyond 2023.

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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I join with the Deputy in praising the MAB service. We cannot do that enough. The work that organisation does across the country is critically important for families in challenging financial situations.

Abhaile is the national State-funded mortgage arrears resolution service that provides expert financial and legal advice and assistance to borrowers in home mortgage arrears, with the aim to identify, and put into place, solutions to those arrears that will, wherever possible, enable the borrower to remain in their own home. It is a non-statutory service, jointly funded and overseen by the Departments of Justice and Social Protection. It is implemented by MABS, which acts as the gateway for advice and support to borrowers, working with the Insolvency Service of Ireland, Legal Aid Board, Courts Service and Citizens Information Board.

Abhaile was established initially in 2016 for a three-year period. It was extended in September 2019 for a further three years and in November 2022 a further extension was made to the end of 2023. These extensions were made by the Government based on the continued need for the service and in the context of a forthcoming review to establish the future of the service. I understand that this review process began in 2021 with an initial independent governance review of the Abhaile service and a subsequent strategic review commenced in 2022, also by independent consultants. The purpose of the strategic review was to examine the overall operation, objectives and future of the Abhaile service in the context of its delivery since its establishment in 2016. The Ministers for Social Protection and Justice, Deputies Humphreys and Harris, respectively, are expecting the final report of this review in the coming weeks.

Consultations have been undertaken with key internal and external stakeholders, including submissions, meetings and workshops. An extensive programme of survey research has been completed among clients of the service, as well as those who have a direct connection with the service. An international comparison review and an analysis of economic indicators were also conducted in parallel, so it is a significant piece of work. The emerging indications point to a continued need for the Abhaile service at this time given the potential increased demand arising from mortgage interest rate rises. While levels of mortgage arrears have thankfully dropped generally in recent years, specific cohorts in, or at risk of entering, an arrears situation continue to need the support and guidance of the Abhaile service.

Initial outputs arising from engagement with stakeholders indicate that overall the different services delivered through Abhaile are viewed positively by stakeholders but, similar to any service, there is room for improvement. There is also an identified need to improve data collection in order to better track outcomes. The final strategic review report will make recommendations on service delivery. I understand the Ministers will consider these recommendations, which they expect to have soon, and will jointly bring a memorandum to the Government outlining the strategic review's findings.

Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome that the strategic review is soon to be completed. I note the amount of work that is being done in the background. It is incredibly disappointing that there is still a refusal at this point to grant certainty to these hardworking people throughout Ireland. I am sure the Minister of State will appreciate that to have this level of uncertainty from the top down is incredibly disruptive for the organisation. It is like a kick in the teeth to the morale of the hardworking, dedicated mortgage advisers who are doing tough, intense and gruelling work. They are invaluable.

If a private company were to leave this massive question mark hanging over the heads of staff until four weeks before Christmas, there would be uproar and, as sure as night follows day, it would be widely condemned in this House. It is simply unacceptable. I urge the Minister of State to raise the matter with both Ministers. As we know very well on this island, uncertainty creates negativity. We know it impacts on planning, investment and business. Uncertainty has an untold impact on those whose primary vocation is to provide support and solutions to people in dire straits. These people should be held in high regard, enough regard to have certainty. Temporary contracts are not good enough. I request that this be challenged and changed.

I will highlight the importance of some of the work the Abhaile scheme does in providing hope to families on the edge who are at risk of losing the home they have worked so hard to own. Usually, contact is only made when these people have gone from complete despair to rock bottom and are in crisis mode. They face the biggest challenge in today's society, namely, the possibility of losing the roof over their heads. As a parent, I can tell the Minister of State what it is like in this situation. We are dealing with a myriad of difficulties and killer intrusive thoughts such as "Have I failed my children?" and "How can I put my kids through this?"

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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The Ministers for Social Protection and Justice were pleased to announce in November 2022 that the Government agreed to an extension of the Abhaile service for one year until 31 December 2023, having regard to emerging findings from the strategic review of Abhaile, which is expected to be completed shortly. This extension allows, in accordance with the commitment in the programme for Government, continued access to the important Abhaile services for households in long-term serious mortgage arrears. The findings of the current strategic review will be a key consideration when the Government considers the long-term delivery of the Abhaile service. The Minister expects to receive the final report of this review in the coming weeks and she will carefully assess its recommendations. Along with the Minister for Justice, she will then present a detailed joint memorandum to the Government providing for the future of the Abhaile scheme. I appreciate the general concerns the Deputy has raised but a review process like this, as I outlined in my initial reply, takes considerable time. It is complex. It is important to get this right and I am assured that is the ultimate objective of both Ministers. I hope the memorandum will be brought to the Government as soon as possible.