---

Financial Services Bill

My Lords, as the noble Lord’s amendment did not form part of what we expected to pass into the Bill today, I do not come with a specific assurance to give him, but let me say that he makes a very good case. It has been widely known for a long time that consumers are not well treated by the allocation processes. Not everyone can afford to pay off their balance monthly, and those people do not understand how it works. Although I cannot give the noble Lord a specific assurance, we are very sympathetic to some way being found to deal with that. Perhaps a code is the best way to start, with legislation following if necessary. On the noble Lord’s other two amendments, the Minister’s amendment to Clause 17 in part deals with the increased disclosure that the noble Lord seeks. We supported what the Minister produced, and I do not think that it is necessary to go quite as far as the noble Lord suggests.