MEASURES have been put in place to ensure the north's network of Citizens Advice offices remain operational after its regional headquarters went into administration.
The charity's office on Donegall Pass in Belfast was forced to close in June as it faced funding difficulties.
It acted as an administrative and training hub for the other 28 offices across Northern Ireland, which operate as separate legal entities.
Citizens Advice in England and Wales is currently in discussions with the Department for Communities (DfC) about the potential for providing the services previously carried out at Donegall Pass.
The department told The Irish News it had already provided an IT service, along with training for staff and volunteers, and £32,000 to support the remaining network of offices.
A DfC spokesman said those using the offices had been unaffected by June's closure of the administrative headquarters.
Meanwhile, the former chief executive of Citizens Advice NI has moved to distance himself from involvement in a fair employment case in which former Sinn Féin MLA Phil Flanagan won £5,000 damages.
In May, the former Fermanagh and South Tyrone representative, who lost his seat in 2016, took the action against Citizens Advice Armagh after being turned down for the post of office manager, despite scoring the highest marks at interview.
Pól Callaghan, who now works for Clanmil Housing Association, has said that despite references to him during the course of the tribunal hearing, he had no role in the recruitment process at the centre of the case, or in dealing with Mr Flanagan's complaint.
Mr Callaghan was not asked by Citizens Advice Armagh, a separate legal entity, to clarify his position for the tribunal or to provide any evidence, which he said he would have done willingly.
The former Citizens Advice NI chief executive said he is keen to stress that he has a proven commitment to equality, which he said in Mr Flanagan's case was not matched by Citizens Advice Armagh.
