James Murray

I thank my hon. Friend for raising that constituency case and highlighting the important work that that organisation does for his constituents. I cannot comment from the Dispatch Box on individual funding decisions, but he underlines the importance of tailoring to local need. Although there may be a national priority to ensure that people are provided with debt advice, individual local debt advice agencies will need to tailor their services to the needs of their communities. He is an excellent advocate for his constituents in that regard. Alongside the debt advice services that the debate has focused on, it is important, as I was saying, that individuals can access the financial services that they need. That is why the Government announced in December our intention to develop a financial inclusion strategy that will aim to further tackle barriers to individual and household ability to access affordable and appropriate financial products and services. The strategy will be supported by a committee that the Economic Secretary to the Treasury convened for the first time in December, which will consider the problem of debt. I will turn my attention briefly to the work that the Government are doing to support vulnerable individuals and businesses repaying debt to the public sector. The Government debt management function functional centre, based in the Treasury, convenes the debt fairness group—a collaboration with the debt advice sector that identifies opportunities to continuously improve public sector debt recovery processes. The functional centre’s work includes debt management toolkits to support public sector bodies dealing with those facing physical and mental health challenges, and to help them identify and support the 8.7 million adults in the UK who have experienced economic abuse. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Walthamstow once again for raising this important matter. I have no doubt that she will continue to be a champion on the issues that we have discussed. The Government remain committed to providing accessible debt advice and promoting financial inclusion. We are committed to ensuring that everyone has the support they need to manage their finances effectively and build a more secure future for themselves and their family. Question put and agreed to.