Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the implications for the Government's policy on the Low Commission's reports, Tackling of the findings of the Advice Deficit, published in 2014, and Getting it Right in Social Welfare Law, published in 2015.

Government is supporting, free, independent and social welfare advice, including through the Advice Services Transition Fund (ASTF).

The ASTF is supporting the sector to be able to respond with confidence to the challenges presented by the changing funding environment. The ASTF is a transformational fund and, rather than providing running costs, it is designed to support more collaborative and sustainable ways of working.

We are working with the Big Lottery Fund to ensure that learning from the fund is identified and shared across the advice services sector.