The £1.2million contract, awarded by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI), will extend the service by Citizens Advice for another three years, as well as provide 12 full-time money advice workers and a central research and development post.
The contract enables Citizens Advice to continue with the provision of free, effective, high quality debt advice at centres across Northern Ireland, with a particular emphasis on one-to-one debt advice in areas where consumers have limited access to this kind of help and assistance.
Welcoming the continuation of the service Minister Dodds said: "My department has provided £800,000 to Citizens Advice over the last two years to place debt advisers throughout Northern Ireland.
“This new contract, worth an additional £1.2million, extends this service for a further three years, meaning continued support for the provision of debt advice centres in Antrim, Belfast, Ballymena, Coleraine, Enniskillen, Londonderry, Lurgan/Portadown, Omagh and Newry.
“This is a very important and welcome service for customers across Northern Ireland, and it will supplement the valuable work that continues to be done in the wider voluntary sector.”
Over the first year of the 2006/08 contract the debt advice service assisted nearly 2,000 clients, dealing with £15million of debt. There were 160 new clients coming to the service every month to seek help finding their way out of a debt situation. The average indebtedness of the client base was found to be £9,000. The continued debt advice service will enable Citizens Advice to further target assistance at those sectors of society who have low disposable income and few assets.
Notes to Editors:
- The debt advice service has been established following work by two government departments - DETI and the Department for Social Development (DSD), along with a number of voluntary sector networks. Provision of the service will be in line with the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) Anti-Poverty Strategy and DSD Strategy for Delivery of Voluntary Advice Services.
- Within the Government's Anti-poverty Strategy, DETI has lead responsibility for the provision of debt advice and this contract will provide significant assistance for consumers who are experiencing difficulties related to over-indebtedness over the next three years.
- The £1.2million contract was awarded to Citizens Advice following an open competition via public tender. The present contract with Citizens Advice will end on 31 March 2008.
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