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Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Bill [Lords]

As the Minister said, this is a new amendment that addresses clause 44, which was also amended in Committee. The clause requires that all energy and postal suppliers operate an approved complaint-handling scheme. Subsection (1) places a number of requirements on regulators, such as those to undertake appropriate research and to consult"““a representative sample of persons likely to be affected””." Regulators must comply with the requirements before making regulations to prescribe complaint-handling procedures under clause 43. We support the requirement to ensure that effective complaint-handling procedures are in place and recognise that there is a need to consult. However, it is surprising that the Government have only now realised that such an amendment is necessary. The Government’s intention of introducing the new arrangements within a year of the Bill receiving Royal Assent might be too ambitious—the Minister said in moving the amendment that the time scale is challenging. Can he reassure us further that the Government will be able to address matters in time for Royal Assent, which I assume will be in a year’s time? Government amendment No. 3 is also a new amendment. It relates to clause 47 provisions on the membership of the redress scheme. The clause ensures that all suppliers are members of an approved redress scheme. The redress scheme provisions in subsection (4) place an obligation on the Secretary of State to consult before making an order to require that regulated providers in the energy and postal service sectors belong to a redress scheme. We support the requirement to ensure that all providers are members of an approved redress scheme and recognise that there is a need to consult. However, we are again surprised that the Government have only now realised that it is necessary to introduce such an amendment. I appreciate that the Minister, like me, was not present during earlier proceedings, but there is a lack of joined-up government and forward thinking. I press the Minister to say whether the timetable to achieve the provisions contained in the two amendments is achievable.