Written question asked by Laurence Robertson (Conservative) on Wednesday, 15 March 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 17 March 2006. It was answered by Phil Woolas (Labour) on Tuesday, 28 March 2006 on behalf of the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

Citizens Advice Bureau

Question: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) what funding has been provided to the Citizens Advice Bureau by (a) central and (b) local government in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available;

Answer: I have been asked to reply.Central government does not fund individual Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB)—each local CAB is a separate independent charity funded usually by local authorities, charitable trusts or other sources. I do not propose that central government should be directly funding local advice centres on the future. These services are best provided in a way that meets the needs of the local community. Any decision about grant funding for any particular CAB will therefore be for the relevant local authority to make.

Secondary information