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Postal Services Bill [HL]

Clause 45: Consumer protection conditions Debate on whether Clause 45 should stand part of the Bill. Clauses 45 and 46 establish a consumer protection scheme, which I understand expands on a scheme that has only recently been created under the Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007. I sympathise completely with the desire to have all the relevant postal services legislation in one document and would have had no objection whatever to the transfer of the scheme from one Act to another. But that is not quite what is being done. Instead, the Government are taking the opportunity to amend the scheme in small but significant ways. One such difference is to allow a participant who breaches the scheme rules to be thrown out of the scheme. I can see why such a rule would be welcomed by some but I cannot immediately understand why it was not included in the Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act. Do the Government intend to introduce legislation amending that Act to ensure that the new rules that apply here will also apply to the industries remaining under the old scheme? I am sure that there are other differences between the schemes and I hope that the Minister might clarify exactly what they are. The original Act went through after extensive consultation with the industry, yet, as far as I am aware, there has been no consultation on these changes. Perhaps the Minster can explain. The purpose of the amendment is to ask the Minister whether he agrees that this is the right way to take this forward. If a scheme needs to be improved, steps need to be taken to improve it, but that should be done in a way that is both transparent and consistent. These clauses appear to be neither. I beg to move.