Following the credit meeting in Edinburgh, convened by Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy, Edinburgh North & Leith MP Mark Lazarowicz said:

"In the current economic situation, where many families and individuals are facing difficulties, it is important that all parts of government support the most vulnerable, and give people support to help them deal with debt.

"That is why I welcome the moves from Alistair Darling this week to put money into the pockets and purses of Edinburgh pensioners, to increase the value of tax credits for Edinburgh families and to cut taxes for everybody in Edinburgh and Leith.

"And it also why I am particularly pleased that the Labour government provided £10 million to Citizens Advice Bureaux to increase face-to-face advice for individuals and families in England. In Scotland, Alistair Darling has provided £1m of new funding as a result - and it is time for the SNP to pass that money to Citizens Advice Scotland to provide equivalent one-to-one support to people in Scotland.

"It is now incumbent upon the SNP administration to match the action of the Labour government, and use this additional funding provided to them to support advice to individuals and families. It would be a scandal if this extra money for Scotland was diverted to support other SNP projects."

27 November 2008