Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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279. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the budget and headcount for the Money Advice and Budgeting Service for 2013, 2014 and 2015. [20025/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Money Advice and Budgeting Service ( MABS), under the aegis of the Citizens Information Board, assists people who are over-indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt problems, in particular those on low incomes and people living on social welfare payments.

In 2013, the Citizens Information Board has been allocated a budget of approximately €47.5 million of which some €19 million has been assigned to MABS. The Board is responsible for ensuring that all appropriate governance arrangements are in place in relation to the expenditure of these public funds. Budget allocations for 2014 and 2015 are not available.

The Money Advice and Budgeting Service is made up of a network of 53 companies, which includes 51 local companies and 2 national companies MABS National Development Limited and National Traveller MABS. There are some 277 money advice staff employed across the MABS network. Sanction has been given for the recruitment of 16 temporary additional staff to be assigned to MABS for up to two years, to establish an Approved Intermediary Service for the purposes of processing Debt Relief Notices as part of the arrangements under the new Insolvency Service.