7 December 2004
SPELLAR SUPPORTS GUIDE TO SPENDING WISELY AT CHRISTMAS
"For most people Christmas is a happy time of year. However, there are many who can get caught up with shopping and Christmas present lists without appreciating how much it is all costing.
"After the festivities, the realisation of just how much money they have spent can cause huge difficulties for families," said John Spellar, Social Development Minister, today.
"So, as Christmas gets closer my Department’s Social Security Agency, the Housing Executive and Citizens Advice have teamed up to launch the new four-step guide to better spending at Christmas."
Anne Flanagan, Customer Services Director for the Social Security Agency, said: "The four steps are easy to follow and the leaflet will help many people to better plan their finances and control their levels of debt."
Derek Alcorn, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice agreed: "Personal borrowing is already at an all time high and this is usually compounded in the post Christmas period as more and more people find it difficult to cope with debt problems caused by spending over the festive period. We would advise everyone to set a budget and stick to it and avoid expensive forms of borrowing by comparing the costs of different types of credit."
Paddy McIntyre, Chief Executive of the Housing Executive, added: "We understand the financial demands Christmas places on everyone and want to help Housing Executive tenants in particular not to slip into rent arrears. We continue to work with those who are in arrears and we are asking tenants to contact their local District Office immediately if they have any difficulty in paying their rent. Confidential help and advice is available from our staff throughout the year, but particularly over Christmas. We want to do all we can to help tenants and stop them getting into further debt."
The guide, entitled ‘How to keep out of debt this Christmas’, can be obtained from all Social Security Offices, Jobs & Benefits offices, Citizens Advice Bureaux, Northern Ireland Housing Executive offices, Credit Unions, Libraries and many other locations. Information on the leaflet can be viewed on Internet sites of the Social Security Agency, Citizens Advice Bureaux and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- The Social Security Agency Social Fund loans and grants paid out £55.96m during the financial year 2003/2004.
- Citizens Advice is the largest advice charity in Northern Ireland and during the past year dealt with over 200,000 information, advice and advocacy enquiries. Over 30,000 of these were debt related. Citizens Advice also publishes The Handbook for Debt Advisors in Northern Ireland.
- The Social Security Agency website address is: www.ssani.gov.uk
- The Citizens Advice website is: www.citizensadvice.co.uk
- The Northern Ireland Housing Executive website is www.nihe.gov.uk
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