The Money Advice and Budgetary Service (Mabs) has had its busiest year yet. The number of people seeking its help has almost doubled in the past four years, Minister for Social and Family Affairs Séamus Brennan has said.
The Minister revealed the figures as he announced an expansion of services from Mabs and the introduction of a new centralised computer system. He was speaking at the opening of a new office in Buncrana, Co Donegal
Some 30,000 people used the service last year compared with 18,000 in 2000, he said. Paying tribute to the work done by the service, he said debt had huge negative effects on families.
"These situations can have a devastating impact on individuals, and their families," he said. These were encountered every day by Mabs advisers.
Figures indicated the varied nature of debt - from small loans to difficulties with electricity, gas and telephone bills. Personal debt, including credit card debt and mortgage or rent arrears featured increasingly, he added, as well as debt around "important life events such as first communions, confirmations, weddings and bereavements".
The new central payments system, offered by the service, will enable payments to be made by electronic transfer on behalf of clients. It will also provide statistics on the nature of the debt incurred and help to identify trends and profile the categories of clients assessing the service.
