Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008

My Lords, I, too, congratulate my noble friend Lord Tunnicliffe on the clarity of his first performance from the Front Bench; no doubt we shall hear much more from him in future. I should declare an interest as a vice-president of the Institute of Trading Standards because I want to say something about that body of noble men and women up and down the country employed by local authorities to enforce a great many consumer protection measures. I welcome the comprehensiveness of the regulations before us in prohibiting unfair commercial practices. They are much more all-embracing in terms of dealing with rogue trader activities than was the case in the past. But perhaps I may express some sadness at the passing of older consumer protection measures, especially the Trade Descriptions Act 1968, which has its 40th birthday this year. In the 40 years of its life, trading standards officers throughout the country have been able to prosecute traders for misleading descriptions of goods, services and prices, and during this period it has been a most useful measure. I do not think there should be any condemnation of it just because its time has passed. It is now being absorbed into something larger, and although the noble Baroness, Lady Wilcox, does not like things to be absorbed into things that are larger, in this case, whatever she says about the National Consumer Council, she has not disagreed with the broad nature of the new regulations. As the Explanatory Notes state, the unfair consumer practices directive, which underlines these regulations, will strengthen consumer protection considerably and improve cross-border trade by making it a good deal easier for consumers from all parts of the Community to shop all over the Community with the greater confidence that is so desirable. The duty of enforcement on the Office of Fair Trading and trading standards officers and their continuing ability to prosecute in the criminal courts is invaluable. But as the noble Baroness and the noble Lord on the Liberal Democrat Front Bench know very well because they have been taking an active part in the debates on the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Bill, these powers of prosecution under the criminal law are to be combined with civil sanctions. That is useful because criminal proceedings and the stigma of criminal conviction are often not warranted, so the greater flexibility of the new Bill is highly desirable. I am sure that they, as I do, look forward to the Third Reading of the Bill in this House on Monday next. OFT research shows that the losses suffered by consumers as a result of defective goods, inadequate redress and poor information run to some £8 billion a year, not taking account of the emotional costs and stress that may be suffered. Needless to say, low income consumers are particularly vulnerable. The only question I have for my noble friend the Minister is this: can he ensure that the enforcement offices I have referred to, the Office of Fair Trading and trading standards officers of the local authorities, will be adequately resourced to carry out their more wide-ranging and useful consumer protection and business protection duties in the future?