Debt Awareness Week 2024

That the Parliament notes that Debt Awareness Week runs from 18 to 24 March 2024, and aims to highlight the experiences of people who are dealing with problem debt; welcomes the work of the Aberlour Children’s Charity and others in helping families that are struggling with debt; notes Aberlour’s Family Financial Wellbeing Tayside Pilot, which it understands has taken innovative steps to help families that are struggling with debt, including paying off debts owed to public bodies; understands that 75% of the debts that have been paid off in the pilot were to public bodies, which it believes highlights the central role that the state can play in imposing financial burdens on disadvantaged families; recognises what it sees as the benefits experienced by families who were supported by the pilot, and calls for all governments to re-evaluate the way in which debt collection by public bodies is prioritised to better support families.