Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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1146. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the steps she is taking to ensure that the citizens’ information services, including the telephone service, the money advice and budgeting service and the national advocacy service for persons with disabilities, are sufficiently funded to maintain and expand their level of service which has been invaluable during the Covid-19 crisis. [9508/20]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body responsible for supporting the provision of information, advice (including money and budgeting advice) and advocacy services to citizens on a wide range of public and social services. 

CIB funds 21 independent companies which deliver services to the public, including the network of Citizens Information Services and the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, the national Citizens Information Phone Service and the National Advocacy Service for people with Disabilities.  

CIB has coordinated a national Covid - 19 response across all of its service delivery companies at national and regional level and continues to work closely with the services as they adapt their customer service offering in light of the challenges arising as a result of the pandemic.

State funding of €61.77m has been allocated to CIB in 2020, from which its service delivery companies are provided with funding to deliver agreed services. CIB monitors and reviews budget allocations to these companies on an ongoing basis and any variations or adjustments to the allocations will be considered as part of my Department’s normal mid year review of CIB’s overall budget allocation for 2020. 

I  hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.