John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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280. To ask the Minister for Social Protection further to the report of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection on the proposed restructuring of MABS and CIS, her plans to issue a policy directive to CIB under section 9 of the Citizen's Information Act 2007 to abandon the flawed restructuring process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30328/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, the Citizens Information Board (CIB) has statutory responsibility for the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) and the Citizens Information Services (CIS). As a statutory body, the Board has the sole right to make decisions on its day to day operations as it sees fit. In November 2014 the Board of the Citizens Information Board decided to restructure the CIB/MABS networks. In October 2016 the Board decided that the new structure should be regionally based. In February 2017 the Board adopted a recommendation that the current structure of 93 companies would be replaced by 16 companies, comprising eight (8) CIS boards and eight (8) MABS boards. The restructuring process is currently in the implementation phase and is expected to be completed in 2019. This restructuring, when implemented, is designed to improve the effectiveness of the control environment, financial management, and governance of the services.

It would not be lawful or appropriate for me, as Minister, to seek to intervene in such a decision, taken by the Board.

Furthermore, as the Deputy will know, my predecessor sought advice from the Office of the Attorney General on this matter and that Office has confirmed that Section 9 of the Citizens Information Act, 2007 does not give me such power.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.