§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his policy towards the provision of a network of independent advice and law centres throughout the country; and what response he has made to Advice 2000 initiative launched by the Advice Services Alliance.
§ Mr. McLoughlin[holding answer 19 April 1994]: The provision of independent advice and law centres is a matter for the Lord Chancellor's Department.
§ Mr. MichaelTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the level of funding from his Department for voluntary advice services for the financial year 1993–94 and each of the previous 10 years; and how many schemes received funding in each year.
§ Mr. McLoughlin[holding answer 19 April 1994]: Although the DTI does not directly fund voluntary advice services, it does fund the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, Citizens Advice Scotland and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, whose aims include the provision of advice and information by volunteers. Details for the financial years 1989–90 to 1992–93 are given in the table. The figures for 1993–94 are not yet available and the figures for earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Financial Year Number of schemes Level of Funding £ 1989–90 3 10,222,771 1990–91 3 11,604,172 1991–92 3 12,472,500 1992–93 3 13,303,996