Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 May 2020
936. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if proposals are being examined to establish a Covid-19 household debt resolution process to help families that may accumulate debt during this period. [7334/20]
View answerThe negative economic impact of the Covid-19 crisis is likely to be severe and will require our personal insolvency system to be as robust and efficient as possible. The State has a comprehensive insolvency system and a network of experienced insolvency practitioners in place to quickly advise those people who may inevitably find themselves in financial difficulty.
Debt resolution is one of the services that the Insolvency Service of Ireland (ISI) provides. The ISI was established in 2013 to deal with personal insolvency and is under the remit of the Department of Justice and Equality. The ISI aims to return people to solvency and full participation in social and economic activity. It offers a range of debt solutions, including a regulated network of qualified professionals, that can help a person to reach a permanent debt solution with their creditor(s).
The ISI encourages anyone with serious debt issues, including those impacted by the Covid-19 crisis to visit its dedicated website backontrack.ie.
The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS), under the aegis of the Citizens Information Board, provides assistance to people, in particular those on low incomes or living on social welfare payments, who are over-indebted and need help and advice with debt problems. As part of its free, confidential and independent service, MABS also provides help and advice to those in mortgage arrears.
During the COVID 19 pandemic, MABS continues to offer money and debt advice service, including the Dedicated Mortgage Arrears service, to existing and new clients who may need assistance in dealing with household debt accumulated during this period.
MABS is providing its services by phone, email, post and by videoconferencing where face to face engagement is necessary. The MABS Helpline is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm on 0761 07 2000.
A Covid-19 live feed has been created on the MABS website to host important financial developments and how they may affect the public. A new call back and instant messaging service is also now available on the MABS.ie website where the public can request a call back from a MABS advisor.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
