§ Mr. Neubertasked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will make a statement on the future of the grants for consumer advice centres.
§ Mrs. Sally OppenheimI am not satisfied that this grant scheme, which provides for the payment of the full running costs of specialist consumer advice centres, is cost effective as a method of providing an advisory service. I have, therefore, decided to terminate the scheme at the end of this financial year.
I recognise that this may lead to closure of some centres and so increase the work load of other advisory services. I shall be consulting interested bodies on the implications of this. In particular, the citizens advice bureaux may well have a greater part to play in the future. I shall welcome their proposals as to how they can meet this objective. I am anxious to encourage the CAB movement because it is a voluntary service which is both effective and economical.