Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Bill [Lords]

I am happy to do so, and I apologise for omitting to do so when I replied in the earlier debate. The new regulations will apply to all contracts for goods and services entered into at home, with some exceptions. We will consult this year on the proposals, and without wishing to pre-empt the results, I would expect the new cancellation rights to apply to contracts with estate agents, if they are entered into at the consumer’s home in the way that the hon. Gentleman outlined. The Bill also fulfils the Government’s commitment to require estate agents to belong to a redress scheme, and it strengthens the regulation of estate agents in a number of respects. For example, they will be required to keep adequate records of their dealings with a client for a period of six years. The Bill will bring about the creation of the new national consumer council, which will be a strong and powerful advocate for consumers across all sectors. The new body will be able to represent energy and postal services consumers even more effectively than the existing arrangements. We will consult next year on whether the water sector should be brought within the fold. For the first time, the Bill introduces compulsory redress schemes in the energy and postal services markets. On the consumer voice part of the Bill, let me update the House on a number of significant developments. First, I would like to make an announcement about the chair of the new National Consumer Council, which is an important position. The chair will require considerable skill to lead the new body during the transition from the framework in this Bill to the realisation of a stronger, more effective advocate for the consumer interest. I am very pleased to announce that Lord Whitty will chair the new National Consumer Council once it is established. As hon. Members will know, he leads the existing council, and so will provide important experience and continuity during the transitional period. Secondly, I can inform the House that the new National Consumer Council will be permitted to establish its central office in London, with its national offices in Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast. I gave approval to the London location as one of my last acts as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, in recognition of the need to retain the expertise of the staff in the existing organisations, all of which are based in London. A London location will also enable key staff to be located close to the council’s stakeholders. In determining its final structure, the new council will be required to take into account the recommendations of the Lyons review and the Government’s objective of locating jobs outside the south-east when possible. Thirdly, my Department is today launching a consultation on the scope of the redress schemes proposed to be established in the energy and postal services sectors as a result of the measures in the Bill. The consultation invites views about whether all regulated providers in the gas, electricity and postal services sectors should be required to become members of a redress scheme; whether domestic consumers and—to pick up the point made on Report by the hon. Member for Solihull (Lorely Burt)—the smallest businesses are the right groups of consumers to have access to the schemes; and whether the schemes should handle all types of complaints from those consumers. Those developments set us well on the way to creating the new National Consumer Council, and I am glad to be able to make these announcements just as the Bill completes its passage through this House. In conclusion, the Government believe that the measures in the Bill will make a real difference to millions of consumers across the UK. We want consumers to be effectively represented; to be empowered with the right information to get the right deal; and to have access to redress when things go wrong. We also want rogues and villains to be removed from the market. We believe that the measures in this Bill will be effective in achieving those goals, and so I commend the Bill to the House.