Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Bill [HL]

I thank all noble Lords who have spoken. I look forward to debating at greater length with the noble Earl, Lord Selborne, in view of his expertise on water. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Whitty, for his intervention when talking about designated consumers. He said that the Bill covered 80 per cent of the water front. It might do that in strict terms, but consumers would not see it as covering anything like 80 per cent because Ofcom, transport and financial services are not included. Mayor Bloomberg of New York attributed his election with such a whopping majority to the fact that he invented not 911—not an emergency service number—but 311, which can be rung for any public service. If the Bill had some ambition, instead of just drawing together what is possible at the moment, while maintaining the flexibility of which the Minister has spoken so eloquently, and if it had some teeth, it would make sense to consumers. The Minister spoke of the Secretary of State being able to bring in other matters, which might give hope to consumers that, at some point in the future, the Bill will be rationalised to bring everything together. As the Bill stands, it will be very confusing to consumers. At any one time one may be a consumer, a designated consumer and a vulnerable designated consumer or any one of those. The body to which one relates may or may not be covered by the Bill and I do not think it will be clear whether one goes to Consumer Direct or the NCC or what the rules are. Much needs to be clarified, not just for us. Most importantly, by the time the Bill has gone through Parliament, consumers must be absolutely clear about the duties of the body and where they stand in relation to the various authorities and regulators and so on and what their roles are. At the moment it is quite confusing. I look forward to exploring it in more detail during the passage of the Bill. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Schedule 1 agreed to. Clause 2 [““Consumer”” and ““consumer matters””]: