Written question asked by Ross Cranston (Labour) on Thursday, 17 October 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 31 October 2002. It was answered by Melanie Johnson (Labour) on Thursday, 31 October 2002 on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Dept of Trade and Industry

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, What assessment she has made of the operation of Stop Now orders. (Failed OPQ).

Answer: Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the operation of Stop Now Orders. [76437] Miss Melanie Johnson: No formal assessment has been made of the operation of the Stop Now Orders Regulations. The Office of Fair Trading in their co- ordination role, monitor the operation of the regulations. There have been 148 cases thus far with five Stop Now Orders obtained from the courts. The majority of cases have been resolved through negotiation with the trader without having to take court action. Following discussions with Trading Standards Departments we have made available £2.5 million/year through local authority general allocations to fund Trading Standards' new responsibilities in this area. We have also provided funding as part of the Modernisation Fund for projects that support the implementation and use of the regulations locally and supported training events for Trading Standards.

Secondary information