Motion to consider. Agreed to on question.

Motion to consider. Agreed to on question.

My Lords, the purpose of this order is, first, to finalise the transfer of the consumer education and advice function, including Consumer Direct, from the Office of Fair Trading to the citizens advice service, and to transfer the relevant industry levy arrangements; and, secondly, to ensure that consumer enforcement is...

My Lords, the purpose of this order is, first, to finalise the transfer of the consumer education and advice function, including Consumer Direct, from the Office of Fair Trading to the citizens advice service, and to transfer the relevant industry levy arrangements; and, secondly, to ensure that consumer enforcement is...

I thank the Minister for his very clear explanation of what is in front of us. I did not find it quite as straightforward as the suggestion that complexity is avoided because quite a number of complexities will remain. There will be not only the Trading Standards offices of local...

I thank the Minister for his very clear explanation of what is in front of us. I did not find it quite as straightforward as the suggestion that complexity is avoided because quite a number of complexities will remain. There will be not only the Trading Standards offices of local...

My Lords, I thank the Minister for setting out this order in some detail. It is, of course, as he said, part of a wider strategy towards the transformation of the consumer landscape. Attached to the explanatory document is a paper which set out nearly two years ago the way...

My Lords, I thank the Minister for setting out this order in some detail. It is, of course, as he said, part of a wider strategy towards the transformation of the consumer landscape. Attached to the explanatory document is a paper which set out nearly two years ago the way...

My Lords, I thank noble Lords for their valuable, if somewhat caveated, comments during this debate. I will do my best to answer the lengthy questions that were raised by the noble Lords, Lord Borrie and Lord Whitty. There is some crossover in the questions. Generally, most of them focused...

My Lords, I thank noble Lords for their valuable, if somewhat caveated, comments during this debate. I will do my best to answer the lengthy questions that were raised by the noble Lords, Lord Borrie and Lord Whitty. There is some crossover in the questions. Generally, most of them focused...

The Minister is leaving the NTSB, but I still have not had an answer to the question about whether local councillors, members of the authority elected to it, will have any role in the NTSB.

The Minister is leaving the NTSB, but I still have not had an answer to the question about whether local councillors, members of the authority elected to it, will have any role in the NTSB.

I hope I can answer the noble Lord’s question. Trading standards play a critical role in protecting consumers and business in their local authority areas, in particular from rogue traders, but the responsibility was split between local authority trading standards services and the OFT creating an enforcement gap. While BIS...

I hope I can answer the noble Lord’s question. Trading standards play a critical role in protecting consumers and business in their local authority areas, in particular from rogue traders, but the responsibility was split between local authority trading standards services and the OFT creating an enforcement gap. While BIS...

Can the Minister say how much of what had been the OFT budget for dealing with these national, across-boundary and complex issues will be fed down to the NTSB and trading standards services?

Can the Minister say how much of what had been the OFT budget for dealing with these national, across-boundary and complex issues will be fed down to the NTSB and trading standards services?

I have that information somewhere, but I will certainly revert to the noble Lord with a particular reply.

The final question I have here, although there may be others on which I shall write to the noble Lords, Lord Whitty and Lord Borrie, was raised by the noble Lord, Lord Whitty,...

I have that information somewhere, but I will certainly revert to the noble Lord with a particular reply.

The final question I have here, although there may be others on which I shall write to the noble Lords, Lord Whitty and Lord Borrie, was raised by the noble Lord, Lord Whitty,...

Motion to consider agreed on question. Relevant documents: 15th Report from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments, 24th Report from the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee

Motion to consider agreed on question. Relevant documents: 15th Report from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments, 24th Report from the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff were employed by the Consumer Direct helpline in Scotland in 2011; and how many of these were transferred to the Citizens Advice service in April 2012.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff were employed by the Consumer Direct helpline in Scotland in 2011; and how many of these were transferred to the Citizens Advice service in April 2012.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department provided for the operation of Consumer Direct in each year since its establishment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department provided for the operation of Consumer Direct in each year since its establishment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps (a) his Department and (b) the Office of Fair Trading take to increase awareness of the services of Consumer Direct in areas with high levels of functional illiteracy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps (a) his Department and (b) the Office of Fair Trading take to increase awareness of the services of Consumer Direct in areas with high levels of functional illiteracy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2011, Official Report, column 956W, on consumers: advisory services, what proportion of the approximately 1.7 million telephone calls and emails handled annually by Consumer Direct originated from residents of each (a) region,...

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2011, Official Report, column 956W, on consumers: advisory services, what proportion of the approximately 1.7 million telephone calls and emails handled annually by Consumer Direct originated from residents of each (a) region,...

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions Ministers in his Department have had with the Citizens Advice Bureau on the future management of Consumer Direct.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions Ministers in his Department have had with the Citizens Advice Bureau on the future management of Consumer Direct.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the likely cost to the public purse of any redundancy following the transfer of functions of (a) the Consumer Affairs branch of the Office of Fair Trading and (b) Consumer Direct.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the likely cost to the public purse of any redundancy following the transfer of functions of (a) the Consumer Affairs branch of the Office of Fair Trading and (b) Consumer Direct.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the budget was of (a) Consumer Direct and (b) the Consumer Affairs branch of the Office of Fair Trading in the latest period for which figures are available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the budget was of (a) Consumer Direct and (b) the Consumer Affairs branch of the Office of Fair Trading in the latest period for which figures are available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people contacted Consumer Direct in each of the last five years; and how many such contacts related to debt and consumer finance issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people contacted Consumer Direct in each of the last five years; and how many such contacts related to debt and consumer finance issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2008, Official Report, column 251W, on non-departmental public bodies: finance, to the hon. Member for Brent East, what the budgeted operating cost for Consumer Direct is for 2008-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2008, Official Report, column 251W, on non-departmental public bodies: finance, to the hon. Member for Brent East, what the budgeted operating cost for Consumer Direct is for 2008-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the budgeted operating cost for Consumer Direct will be in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the budgeted operating cost for Consumer Direct will be in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.