Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Question 252: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the cost to his Department each year towards the provision of the MABS in the years 2000 to 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17226/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The money advice and budgeting service is provided by 52 MABS companies operating out of 65 centres throughout the country. At present, there are 150 money advisers and 78 administrative staff working in the MABS. The cost to the Department of Social and Family Affairs towards the provision of the MABS in the years 2000 to 2004 is detailed as follows:

A total of €13.62 million has been allocated to the service in 2005.

During the 12 month period up to December 2004, the money advice and budgeting service dealt with approximately 16,000 new clients while also dealing with approximately 13,600 other clients on an ongoing basis. An average of 1,700 persons per month visit the MABS website at www.mabs.ie.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Question 253: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of people availing of the MABS for each year from 2000 to 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17227/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The money advice and budgeting service is provided by 52 MABS companies operating out of 65 centres throughout the country. At present, there are 150 money advisers and 78 administrative staff working in the MABS. The number of people availing of the MABS service for each year from 2000 to 2004 is detailed as follows:

A total of €13.62 million has been allocated to the service in 2005, which is an increase of €2.2 million over the 2004 allocations.

During the 12 month period up to December 2004, the money advice and budgeting service dealt with approximately 16,000 new clients while also dealing with approximately 13,600 other clients on an ongoing basis. An average of 1,700 persons per month visit the MABS website at www.mabs.ie.

A high number of those presenting to the MABS are multiple debt cases. These are cases where an individual or a family runs into arrears with a number of household bills that may include rent or mortgage, ESB, hire purchase, motor tax and insurance, children's educational expenses, personal loans from banks, credit unions, money lenders and credit cards. The MABS provides support and advice to these people by helping them to make arrangements with the relevant institutions to restructure their debt in a way which allows them to manage their finances better.