Laois Minister suggests writing to Minister over removal of 'basic service'

The absence of a Community Welfare Officer is driving people to illegal money lenders, a Laois Joint Policing Committee meeting was told.

Bobby Delaney said as a member of St Vincent de Paul he felt the SVDP were “picking up the tab” in Mountmellick since the decision to remove the Community Welfare Officer in 2021. 

“Our biggest fear is the people that don’t come to us are going to illegal money lenders,” said Mr Delaney.  

Deputy Brian Stanley said there was no doubt the lack of a Community Welfare Officer was driving people to illegal money lenders. 

“It has been one of the consequences of the removal of the Community Welfare Officers. 

We raised this issue ad nauseam with Minister Heather Humphries. It really has had a negative effect,” said Dep Stanley. 

“A Community Welfare Officer went from Mountmellick for a few hours, to Mountrath, Rathdowney, Graiguecullen, Portarlington and then Portlaoise. People could meet face to face,” he explained. 

“Now it is an online system. You are calling somebody on a booking line.  There’s nobody available, you can’t get through to anybody,” he said.   

“It is driving people into money lending. It is as simple as that,” said Dep Stanley. 

Some people may have literacy problems, mental health issues and struggle to use the new system, said Dep Stanley. 

He said the Community Welfare Officer dealt with emergency situations where people were in crisis. 

“It is not money that is dished out easily. There is a rigorous assessment for it,” he said. 

“The removal of that simple practice of that person, that Community Welfare Officer going to certain towns, it really, really has had a negative effect,” said Dep Stanley.  

It is driving people to money lenders who charge 50 to 100% interest, he claimed. 

“That’s what is happening. That’s the reality out there on the ground,” he said.  

Minister Sean Fleming said he was in agreement with what Mr Delaney had said. 

He said it would take one staff member to cover the county. He suggested the JPC should write to Minister Humphries. 

“Vincent de Paul in a number of towns are picking up the tab,” said Minister Fleming. 

Fianna Fail Cllr Paddy Bracken said he was familiar with the problems being faced by people in Mountmellick due to the lack of a Community Welfare Officer. 

“I find it unacceptable really, your response,” he told Minister Fleming, who is also a member of Fianna Fail.

“You are in Government. That facility has gone. That facility was hugely important to keep people away from money lending and all that goes with that as a consequence of that,” said Cllr Bracken. 

“The last response I got officially was that the demand wasn’t there for it,” he said. 

“Never was there more demand for that out there with interim payments and short term payments and as Deputy Stanley has said, someone going for social welfare to cut off or whatever,” Cllr Bracken said. 

“I am disgusted to think that that basic service has been taken away from us,” he remarked. 

“The Minister is announcing money every other day for this yoke and I don’t know and we are taking away the very basic service that we had for years in worse times,” he remarked. 

Mr Delaney thanked the members for their support in relation to the issue. 

“We have come across cases of money lenders with Vincent de Paul that would scare you and even with the help of gardai at times it is awful what those people, the pressure they can put on people,” he said. 

“We had a meeting not too long ago with a welfare officer and Tullamore seem to have a great service. 

“People go the easiest route when they get into a corner and that’s to these illegal money lenders,” said Mr Delaney. 

“I would plead with the two Deputies to keep the pressure on and the councillors as well,” he said. 

Garda Superintendent Eamon Curley urged people who have information about illegal money lenders to contact Gardai.  He said garda are aware of the sensitivities around the crime and he urged people  to come forward and said doing so doesn’t automatically mean they have to be witnesses to the crime. 

He said crimes such as illegal money lending and instances of drug intimidation are treated in a very sensitive manner by gardai and he urged people not to be afraid to contact gardai with information. 

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Former Garda Tom Jones said people who are the victims of money lenders are often afraid to come forward because they might need to borrow from them again. 

“Complaints were not forthcoming unfortunately,” he said. 

Supt Curley said gardai would approach such crimes with “understanding and sensitivity” and find ways of investigating while protecting those who  come forward.