Speeches

Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-06-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much funding the Government provided to Citizens Advice Scotland in each of the last five years.

David Mundell

The UK Government provide funding to Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS), the umbrella organisation and membership body for the Citizens Advice Bureaux network in Scotland, through the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), and (via the Pension Wise service) through Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT).

The total UK Government funding to CAS over the past five financial years, including BIS and HMT funding, is set out below.

Financial Year

Total funding

2015/16

£9,583,511

2014/15

£8,797,196

2013/14

£5,614,800

2012/13

£6,887,500

2011/12

£2,900,000

Funding increased substantially between 2011/12 and 2012/13 to reflect the additional functions CAS had taken on as a result of the consumer landscape changes, including the joint delivery (with Citizens Advice England and Wales) of the Consumer Service helpline, education and advocacy on general consumer issues, and as the advocate on behalf of consumers in the regulated energy and postal sectors.

Funding also increased substantially between 2013/14 and 2014/15 when the Government established the Pension Wise service to offer free and impartial guidance to people on the new pension freedoms which came into effect in April 2015.