Maureen O'Sullivan
Ceist:676. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost in a full year if the budget for Citizens Information Services increased by 8%. [12043/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 12 March 2019
Ceisteanna (676)
Freagraí scríofa
The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body responsible for supporting the provision of information, advice (including money and budgeting advice) and advocacy on a wide range of public and social services. It provides some services directly to the public and directly funds and supports an extensive range of services through its delivery partners including the Citizens Information Services (CIS’s), the Citizens Information Phone Service (CIPS) ,the Money Advice and Budgeting Service ( MABS), the National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities (NAS), and the Sign Language Interpreting Service (SLIS).
CIB is allocated an annual budget from which it funds all of its services. In 2019, CIB’s overall budget allocation is €59.26 million. From this, CIB has allocated €16.9 million for citizens’ information services, comprising €14.1m allocated to the 8 regional Citizens Information Services, €1.5m allocated towards central supports provided to these companies, e,g insurance costs, advertising, training and other overheads and, €1.3 million allocated to the Citizens Information Phone Service, which provides a comprehensive and confidential national telephone service.
If the allocation of €16.9m for the citizens’ information services were to increase by 8%, CIB would require an increased allocation from central Government funds of €1.35 million.