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Consumer Rights

I have similar concerns, but responsibility has to be taken by local authorities. They have to make a judgment on the service required in the area. As the House would expect, I always hope that local authorities will prioritise support for trading standards and Citizens Advice. Action was taken in the pre-Budget report to make further funding available for debt advice, and agencies can bid for additional money. There is a series of extra advice surgeries, and surgeries are being opened for longer or at more convenient times. Further debt advice is being provided through citizens advice bureaux as a result of Government action. [Mr. Martyn Jones in the Chair] A number of hon. Members raised the issue of scams, either on the internet or simply through the activities of rogue businesses and more generally. Some hon. Members will know that, following the introduction of a series of pilot scambuster teams, we have rolled out the model of regional trading standards officers working with other enforcers to all parts of the United Kingdom. So far, that approach has led to 19 successful prosecutions, with an estimated saving to consumers of more than £3 million, and £2.5 million-worth of criminal assets have been seized. Clearly more needs to be done, but although many of the scambuster teams are relatively new, they are already bedding down and making a difference. The hon. Member for Solihull raised the question of mobile phone contracts. I am aware of the considerable concerns that arose last year, some of which continued into this year, about the complexity of mobile phone contracts, the difficulty of judging one service against another and whether cash-back and other contracts were being honoured. The hon. Lady may not be aware that Ofcom has taken action. Indeed, Consumer Focus, the new body to which a number of hon. Members referred, has also prioritised some of its work, putting pressure on the mobile phone industry to get its act together. We will continue to watch for progress. Given the huge concern expressed by the media and the House, we hope that the industry will realise that there is a spotlight on it and that it will continue to work to improve its performance. We are taking a series of other measures to provide real help to consumers affected by the downturn—not only with the additional debt advice to which I alluded in response to the intervention from the hon. Member for Cotswold, but in dealing with some of the emerging practices that we have seen, such as in the credit card industry. We also realise that we need to help consumers not only by cracking down on rogue businesses, but by helping to deliver a level playing field for reputable businesses—the vast majority in the UK—that do not want their relationship with the consumer to be undermined by the rogues. New markets have developed in recent years, particularly on the internet, which may lead to a need for changes in how regulations are introduced and managed in the UK.