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Personal Debt

Answer

Although most people use credit productively, some end up with huge problems. The Department is most concerned to help such people, and there is much that we are doing. We are giving grants totalling £45 million over the two years until April 2008 for advice agencies to hire and train 450 new debt advisers, who will help more than 100,000 of those with the highest levels of personal debt. That is part of a package to combat financial exclusion under the Treasury’s £120 million financial inclusion fund. We are also giving more than £24 million to Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland to help support citizens advice bureaux, which, among other things, provide help and advice to those in debt. We have recently funded loan shark pilots in Birmingham and Glasgow with a grant of £835,000 this year. We will assess the pilots, which have helped combat illegal activities. We have given another grant of £l million this year to National Debtline, which will help tens of thousands of the indebted. We are doing as much as we can to try to help those with the highest levels of debt.

Secondary information

Type

Oral question

Reference

450 c998-9 

95030 

Session

2005-06

Oral question type

Lead

Chamber / Committee

House of Commons chamber

Related items

Personal Debt
Thursday, 19 October 2006
Oral question time interventions
House of Commons

Personal Debt
Thursday, 19 October 2006
Proceeding contributions
House of Commons

Subjects

Debts

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk