Madam, – I was intrigued to read a statement from the Comptroller and Auditor General’s report that the average Mabs (Money Advice and Budgeting Service) money adviser sees only two clients per week (Home News, September 12th).
In Mabs Dublin 10 and 20, our advisers (one of whom is also coordinator of the service) work a total of 102 hours a week and are currently dealing with 415 active clients. They have a four-week waiting list, so they are forced to prioritise disconnections and impending court cases. Other Mabs offices in the area have waiting lists of up to 12 weeks. The Department of Social and Family Affairs, not noted nowadays for being a soft touch, has recently sanctioned the appointment of a further 19 money advisers, five of whom are to be full-time.
Presumably the department has access to the same data as the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) so it is puzzling that their assessment of the service should be so different.
It may be that that the CAG is noting only the number of new clients per week, but this is not a statistic of great relevance. Clients will often have to remain in regular contact with the service for over a year, while they receive help with serious debt problems.
BILL TONER, SJ
Secretary,
Dublin 10 and 20 Mabs,
25 Croftwood Park,
Dublin 10.