speech given by Angela Smith, Minister for the Third Sector, at the Citizens Advice conference is available @

http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/268366/speech%209sept2009%20cab.doc

'We are working with and listening to the sector like never before. We have invited the sector to become a key player in our society, not just to deliver services, but also to be the voice of our local communities.

As the Minister for the Third Sector I can assure you I am working across Government to ensure that voice is heard; and that the sector is involved as a key player in the development of policies that shape our everyday lives.

I was asked to talk about how the third sector should respond to the recession. The short answer is that you know best. I know Citizen’s Advice Bureaux in particular and the third sector in general is innovative and effective and is acutely aware of the needs of its service users – it is those skills that mean that the sector can best respond to the challenging economic climate.'