1,600 PEOPLE ARE waiting their for their first appointment with the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS).
According to figures from the Department of Social Protection, the Donegal North MABS company has the longest waiting list with 160 people awaiting an appointment with a money advisor. The figures, which are accurate up to the end of last month, also show that Donegal North has the highest average waiting time at over 20 weeks.
The average waiting time for a MABS appointment is 4.4 weeks but this figure varies wildly across the country. Waterford West for example has an average waiting time of under one week while those in financial trouble in Meath would have to wait over three months for an appointment with a MABS advisor
In response to a Dáil question from Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty, Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton accepted that the process in place means some indebted individuals will be required to wait to see a money advisor:
MABS operate an appointment scheduling system and this means that in some cases clients may have to wait a number of weeks for the next available appointment. While waiting for an appointment, clients can use MABS free self-help materials to take holding action and to begin the process of assessing their situation.
“The MABS Helpline can also support clients while they are awaiting their first appointment with a MABS money adviser,” the Minister added.
Doherty however argues that people contacting the MABS Helpline are already beyond the point where seeking advice on the phone is sufficient:
When people make up their mind to approach MABS they are more often than not in a desperate place. For most, they’ve gone beyond accessing self-help guidelines on the web or using a phone service. They need to sit down with someone who will thoughtfully and patiently explain the situation to them and help them process their options.
Minister Burton said that MABS received €19 million of funding last year and has dealt with over 2,000 emergency clients since the beginning of the year, these clients she says are seen immediately without any waiting period.
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