CAB Facts

150 service points 2,500 volunteers One in 11 Scots use the service More than 500,000 problems submitted annually 700,000 volunteer hours

By 1942 there were more than 1,000 bureaux established across the UK, staffed entirely by volunteers.

During the darkest hours of WWII, Citizens Advice Bureaux were operated from converted horse boxes parked near blitzed areas to give advice.

"Often it was as simple as answering questions like what do we do now, where should we go," said CAB Scotland's Ian Brown.

"We were bombed out the night before last, and the pawn tickets went" is one recorded early query from a client complaining that the pawnbroker would not give him back his blankets and best clothes.

The problems CABs have dealt with mirror the changes in British society since those early times.

"After the war one of the saddest tasks was helping to find missing relatives and friends ," Mr Brown went on.

There are CAB offices all over Scotland

In the 1950s rationing problems predominated, while in the 1960s questions about jobs, housing and benefits were common.

Latterly one of the most important areas of advice is about bad debts - especially from credit cards.

So what of the future? The conference has thrown up some ideas about where CAB is going.

"Who knows what globalisation will mean in terms of employment law in 20 years time?" said Ian Brown.

That's one likely growth area, but there are others.

"Perhaps new forms of discrimination will be genetic discrimination."

Government funding

As for the CAB itself, it is in rude health and likely to stay that way.

The modern service remains true to its roots, and is largely voluntary.

Office managers are now paid, however, and government nationally and locally provides the bulk of the funding.

Scotland has 150 service points and last year one in 11 of the population brought 500,000 problems to the CAB.

There are more than 2,500 volunteers who give up 700,000 hours of their time.

A recent MORI poll has found the vast majority (94%) of Scots trust the advice they are given.