§ 18. Mr. Michael Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection whether citizens' advice bureaux are to be encouraged to expand their service in giving consumer advice or whether it is his policy that they should 20 disband these in favour of local authority advice centres.
§ Mr. John FraserI consider both types of service to be extremely valuable and complementary. That is why my Department is this year providing grants totalling £4.5 million towards the work of both citizens' advice bureaux and consumer advice centres.
§ Mr. MorrisIn view of the large figure that the Minister has mentioned, may I ask him whether he is aware that the grant to the citizens' advice bureaux ends in April 1979 and that at this point of time they have no knowledge whether their work in this sector can continue?
§ Mr. FraserMy Department is in close consultation with the citizens' advice bureaux about the amount of the grant after 1979 and will give the matter very serious consideration, because the bureaux do a very valuable job of work for the general public.
§ Mr. LitterickIs the Minister satisfied that his undertaking to give that degree of financial support for consumer advice centres will be enough to deter the now too numerous Tory authorities from closing down large numbers of consumer advice centres and thereby sabotaging our efforts to control prices?
§ Mr. FraserI must exonerate many Conservative authorities which have a good record on consumer advice centres. I should be sorry to see the centres become a political football. I deplore what has happened in Birmingham. I have spoken to the chairman of the appropriate committee, but the authority still seems bent on closing every conceivable advice centre. It would be extremely valuable if we could have a word from the hon. Member for Gloucester (Mrs. Oppenheim) encouraging her colleagues in the West Midlands at least to think twice before cutting, in an almost vandalistic way, an extremely valuable service to the citizens of the country.