Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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494. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 528 of 29 September 2020, if she has had sight of correspondence dated 19 September 2024 concerning the corporate governance of the Citizens Information Service (details supplied); if she is satisfied that the ‘decisions register’ entry for the board meeting of that agency on 19 November 2014 accurately reflects what transpired at the meeting; if she is concerned at the apparent contradiction between what is stated in the decisions register entry and what is stated in the minutes of the board meeting of that date; to confirm the date on which the decisions registry for the Citizens Information Board meeting of 19 November 2014 was made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42625/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body, under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection, that is responsible for the provision of information, advice (including money and budgeting advice) and advocacy services on a wide range of public and social services. CIB is governed by a Board of Directors, who are responsible for decisions regarding the structuring of the organisation.

CIB has confirmed to my Department that restructuring of the then 42 Citizens Information Service (CIS) and 51 Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) companies was discussed at the meetings of the CIB Board on 14th October and 19th November 2014.

CIB has clarified to the Department that a decision that change to the structure of these companies was agreed at the meeting of the CIB Board on 14th October 2014 and was re-affirmed at the meeting on 19th November 2014, where it was also recorded in the Registry of Decisions. The Registry of Decisions was drafted subsequent to the Board meeting of 19th November 2014.

In February 2017, following lengthy and extensive analysis and consultation with all stakeholders, CIB adapted a recommendation on a new regional structure of the CIS and MABS companies into 16 regional companies, comprising of eight regional CIS companies and eight regional MABS companies.

This restructuring process was completed in October 2018 and the new companies have been operating effectively since then. CIB continues to support the companies in delivering their important services.