Citizens Advice Provides New Home for A2B’s Ground-Breaking Internet Service

A2B Chair John Keanie (left) hands over the reins to A2B’s groundbreaking web-based services to Derek Alcorn, Chief Executive, Citizens Advice (Northern Ireland).

Today marks the hand-over to Citizens Advice (Northern Ireland) of a ground-breaking, 5 year development project that has helped pump £50m into Northern Ireland’s local economy.

Over 37,000 benefit checks have been completed on the ‘A2B Benefit Calculator’ in Northern Ireland alone since its October 2008 launch, yielding £50m in unclaimed benefits. Use of the system at a2b.org.uk by GB citizens has yielded millions more.

As planned, A2B is now handing over custodianship of this unique, new service to Citizens Advice (Northern Ireland) along with a set of internet applications aimed at improving benefit uptake that include ‘A2B FormFiller’ and ‘A2B Datamine’.

Company Chair of A2B, John Keanie said “‘through the generous support of our main funder, Atlantic, together with financial and political support from the Office of the First and deputy First Ministers, the A2B team has been able to turn the £5m invested into the A2B project into well over £50m for the benefit of people in Northern Ireland and beyond. In the current economic climate, things are difficult for a lot of people. I am delighted that A2B has been able to help many individuals and bring new money into the local economy”.

Patrick Minne, Chief Executive of A2B, said “I’m delighted that my team’s hard work will continue to provide much needed help to citizens, supported by the first-rate IT infrastructure and welfare rights expertise of our colleagues at Citizens Advice (Northern Ireland)” .

Access to Benefits (A2B) is an Atlantic grantee.