Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to assist people with household debt.

The Government established the Money Advice Service, which spent just under £49m last year to provide over 440,000 free-to-user debt advice sessions. And we are now creating a Single Financial Guidance Body to ensure consumers get better money and pensions guidance, and debt advice.

The Government is also committed to establishing a six-week breathing space scheme. It published a Call for Evidence on the scheme in October. An amendment to the Financial Guidance and Claims Bill gives the Government the ability to implement the scheme, after receiving advice on aspects of the scheme from the Single Financial Guidance Body.