asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will introduce within his Department a properly structured and funded debt counselling service.
Written Answers. - Debt Counselling Service.
20.
The question of indebtedness is a very complex issue on which there is little concrete information. In addition the consequences of indebtedness can vary from person to person and in the more extreme cases people may turn to moneylenders. Arising out of my concern about the activities of money lenders, particularly as they affect social welfare recipients, I have recently arranged with the Combat Poverty Agency for a detailed study of moneylending and the associated problems of indebtedness to be carried out. The agency expect that the results of this study will be available by next September.
The desirability of establishing a debt counselling service is one of a number of issues which the agency will be addressing in their study and I intend to review the matter in the light of the agency's findings.
Another aspect of the problem of indebtedness is the management of resources and in this context I have recently made a grant of £100,000 to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul for personal development and home management courses. This money has been allocated from funds provided from the national lottery for community social services purposes. The courses will provide practical advice and assistance, including financial advice, to over 5,000 families throughout the country this year.
They include counselling in relation to debt and the use of credit unions and other financial agencies.