MABS and Citizens Information changes
John Brady raises proposals to restructure MABS and Citizens Information and asks why the Government has not responded to the committee report. The Taoiseach says no legislation is promised, the issue is not in the programme for Government, and the Attorney General advises the power to act does not exist.
As the Taoiseach is aware, on 1 June the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection issued a report on the proposed changes for the restructuring of the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, MABS, and Citizens Information. This report was presented to the Taoiseach when he was the Minister for Social Protection, before it was actually published on 1 June. We are at the end of June and there has been no response from the Government on the serious changes and restructuring proposals that are totally opposed by MABS and Citizens Information. It is being rolled out by the Citizens Information Board but unfortunately there has been no input from the Government. I received a response today from the chairman of the Citizens Information Board which has said that it pays no heed whatsoever to the serious findings and recommendations in the report from the Oireachtas Joint Committee for Social Protection and that it is ploughing ahead with the restructuring and the regionalisation of the service. It is up to the Government, and the Government has the power. It seems the Citizens Information Board does not care. It is up to the Government now to use the powers under section 9 of the Citizens Information Act 2007 to stop the restructuring of the service which is going to drive it into the ground and destroy a very good and essential service that is working right across the State. What is the Taoiseach going to do? Is he going to act on the report that he has sat on for a number of weeks? What is he going to do and will he use the powers that he has?
