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Advice Centres (Barnsley and Sheffield)

I congratulate the hon. Member for Penistone and Stocksbridge (Angela Smith) on securing this debate. I regard the citizens advice bureaux in my constituency as incredibly important, as I know she does. If other Members were here to listen to this debate, they would be praising the valuable work done by CABs. Like the hon. Lady, I hold advice surgeries in some of my local CABs and work with them closely. I do not think that I could do my job as a constituency MP properly without that partnership with my local citizens advice bureaux. They refer people to me sometimes, but I generally refer people to them. I agree completely with her and pay tribute to the many volunteers and staff who work in CABs. They do an amazing job. I hold two advice surgeries a week, spending six to eight hours face to face with constituents, and I think that I see only the tip of the iceberg of the social issues out there. The hon. Lady spoke particularly about debt. She is absolutely right that citizens advice bureaux play a critical role in debt management. We are currently consulting on consumer credit and personal insolvency, and after the recess, we will be responding to the evidence that we have received on the issue. The overall way in which we treat debt management and advice must be thought through more carefully than it has been. We can do a lot more for a lot more people with the money that we have. The hon. Lady made a powerful case for her constituency and the advice centres there. However, what she did not say—I am sorry to pull her up on this point, as I have a lot of sympathy for what she said—is that the Government are dealing with a huge Budget deficit, the largest in our peacetime. We have had to take tough decisions. I had to see the previous chief executive of Citizens Advice to tell that organisation in-year that it had to make serious budget cuts. That was probably my most difficult meeting and the most difficult decision to take. However, I am delighted that in this coming year, we have been able through the spending review to protect the budget that the Department provides for Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland. That will make an important contribution to all citizens advice bureaux across the country for provision of IT and other services.