Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 107: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if he will provide funding for a service (details supplied) on Dublin's north side which provides excellent value for money for taxpayers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37900/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Funding is provided to the organisation in question under the Department's scheme of grants for the development and promotion of information and welfare rights. However, this is primarily a budget for once-off funding for the provision of social welfare information and funding available under this vote has been substantially reduced in recent years. As the organisation does not meet the criteria of the scheme, it has been advised to source alternative funding.

The Department has been engaging with the organisation to support this process. In 2011, funding of some €350,000 has been allocated to the organisation on the basis that it provides monthly updates on the progress the organisation is making to secure alternate funding sources for 2012. The organisation in question also received €8,200 in 2010 from the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) for providing technical support to local MABS services. The Citizens Information Board, an agency of my Department, has the statutory responsibility for the provision of MABS the and in 2011 approximately €18 million has been allocated to the service.

In the details supplied with this question, the Deputy also refers to another organisation. This organisation received funding of some €90,000 in 2011 from the Citizens Information Board for services provided to the local Citizens Information Services.

It is not possible to compare the costs of the different services on the basis of the number of queries handled as the funding and services provided are not directly comparable, e.g. one organisation provides a service on a voluntary basis while the MABS service, although also dependent on volunteers, also directly employs staff and provides a wide range of negotiation, documentation, website and other services on a regional basis.