asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if he will publish in the Official Report a list of towns in which (a) the Government have helped to set up a consumer advice centre and (b) the Government plan to set up a consumer advice centre, together with the dates when they opened or are projected to open.
Centres opened under the Consumer Advice Grant Scheme are as follows:
Centres projected under the Consumer Advice Grant Scheme are as follows:
Centre
| Estimated opening date
| |||||||||
| Swindon | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | November 1976 |
| Chester | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | November 1976 |
| North Strathclyde (M) | Covering main areas of population not served by a consumer advice center | November 1976 | ||||||||
| Glasgow area (M) | ||||||||||
| Telford | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | December 1976 |
| Hamilton | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | December 1976 |
| Irvine | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | December 1976 |
| Darlington | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | December 1976 |
| St. Helens | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | January 1977 |
| Birkenhead | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | January 1977 |
| Thurrock | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | January 1977 |
| Edinburgh | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | March 1977 |
| Glasgow | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | March 1977 |
| Stockton-on-Tees | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | … | March 1977 | |
| (M) represents mobile consumer advice unit. | ||||||||||
A postal consumer advice and information service is to be set up in South Yorkshire in areas not served by a consumer advice centre.
asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what criteria are used by his Department in deciding where to open consumer advice centres.
The majority of consumer advice centres have been established and financed by local authorities. In selecting projects for Government assistance under the Consumer Advice Grant Scheme, account was taken of existing services in the area, the population to be served by the proposed project, and the need for a reasonable distribution of consumer advice facilities throughout Great Britain.
asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what facilities consumer advice centres have to handle inquiries or complaints about services provided by the gas ord electricity boards.
Consumer advice centres are staffed by trained consumer advisers who are able to handle questions about services provided by the gas and electricity boards. Where appropriate, however, cases are referred to the relevant Gas Consumers' or Electricity Consultative Councils which specifically deal with consumer questions arising from the services provided by these industries.
asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what facilities consumer advice centres have to handle inquiries or complaints about Post Office services.
Consumer advice centres are staffed by trained consumer advisers who are able to deal with many questions about Post Office services. Where appropriate, however, inquiries are referred to the Post Office Users' National Council.
asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what is the population of the smallest town in which the Government have helped to set up a consumer advice centre or plans to set one up by the end of the year.
Lerwick, with a population of approximately 7,000, is the smallest town with a consumer advice centre which has received, or is due to receive, Government financial help. The Government have also helped finance a number of mobile consumer advice units serving sparsely populated rural areas.