Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

216. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to support the Monetary Advice & Budgeting Service in dealing with the increased number of persons using its service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35082/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS), funded by the Citizens Information Board (CIB), a statutory body under the aegis of my Department, is the State’s money advice service and provides assistance to people, in particular those on low income or dependent on social welfare supports, who are over-indebted. As part of its free services, MABS also provides support to those in mortgage arrears and is an administrator of Abhaile - the national State funded Mortgage Arrears Resolution Service.

MABS comprises eight regional companies and each company has the flexibility to allocate resources appropriately in response to emerging customer needs. In addition, clients in a region have access to all MABS services of the region and can contact any money advisor in that region about their case by phone, email, online chat or video conferencing.

The latest MABS data, Quarter 1 2022, shows that while there is an increase in the number of persons using the service compared to 2021 (3,875 new clients compared to an average of 3,333 new clients per quarter last year), the service has still not reached the pre-Covid-19 service levels (average of 4,276 new clients per quarter in 2019).

My Department has allocated €23.54m to MABS for 2022. MABS will continue to be supported and developed through the Citizens Information Board, who are closely monitoring the service and any increase in demands.