Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Bill (HL). Committee stage first sitting (morning). Programme motion agreed to. Written evidence (Reporting to the House) motion agreed to. Clauses 1 to 3 agreed to. Schedule 1, as amended, agreed to.

Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Bill (HL). Committee stage first sitting (morning). Programme motion agreed to. Written evidence (Reporting to the House) motion agreed to. Clauses 1 to 3 agreed to. Schedule 1, as amended, agreed to.

My Lords, I thank the Minister for his reply. We debated this extensively in Committee. I suppose that the best argument against the amendment tabled in my name and that of my noble friend is that it will be the noble Lord, Lord Whitty, who is responsible for proving us...

My Lords, I thank the Minister for his reply. We debated this extensively in Committee. I suppose that the best argument against the amendment tabled in my name and that of my noble friend is that it will be the noble Lord, Lord Whitty, who is responsible for proving us...

My Lords, the amendment seeksto require the Secretary of State to make an order to abolish Postwatch and to make that order subject to the affirmative resolution procedure in both Houses. Furthermore, the Secretary of State would not be permitted to make the order before 2010. I recognise the concerns...

My Lords, the amendment seeksto require the Secretary of State to make an order to abolish Postwatch and to make that order subject to the affirmative resolution procedure in both Houses. Furthermore, the Secretary of State would not be permitted to make the order before 2010. I recognise the concerns...

My Lords, I thank the Minister for his response. I particularly thank the noble Baroness, Lady Miller, for her support. She makes precisely the point that we are concerned about. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Borrie, for his intervention. Interestingly, he seemed to say, on the one hand, that...

My Lords, I thank the Minister for his response. I particularly thank the noble Baroness, Lady Miller, for her support. She makes precisely the point that we are concerned about. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Borrie, for his intervention. Interestingly, he seemed to say, on the one hand, that...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord De Mauley, and the noble Baroness, Lady Wilcox, for affording us the opportunity to debate this important issue. I am also grateful to my noble friend Lord Borrie for his expert analysis. I shall refer later to some of the...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord De Mauley, and the noble Baroness, Lady Wilcox, for affording us the opportunity to debate this important issue. I am also grateful to my noble friend Lord Borrie for his expert analysis. I shall refer later to some of the...

My Lords, I declare an interest as a sole trader and member of the Federation of Small Businesses. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord De Mauley, for raising this point, although we have not added our name to the amendment, for some of the reasons outlined by the...

My Lords, I declare an interest as a sole trader and member of the Federation of Small Businesses. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord De Mauley, for raising this point, although we have not added our name to the amendment, for some of the reasons outlined by the...

My Lords, what did the Minister mean by ““depends on the market””? I do not understand that; perhaps I might do so if he repeated it.

My Lords, what did the Minister mean by ““depends on the market””? I do not understand that; perhaps I might do so if he repeated it.

My Lords, the question was: under what circumstances would consumers cease to be designated? The response was that that would depend entirely on the market. It would need to be clear that designation was no longer required, and after consultation with the council, Scottish Ministers, Welsh Ministers and others my...

My Lords, the question was: under what circumstances would consumers cease to be designated? The response was that that would depend entirely on the market. It would need to be clear that designation was no longer required, and after consultation with the council, Scottish Ministers, Welsh Ministers and others my...

moved Amendment No. 5: 5: Clause 3 , page 2, line 37, leave out ““may”” and insert ““must”” The noble Baroness said: My Lords, in Committee we explored the meaning of ““designated consumers””. For the purposes of the Bill they are consumers who are losing their representative body, be it...

moved Amendment No. 5: 5: Clause 3 , page 2, line 37, leave out ““may”” and insert ““must”” The noble Baroness said: My Lords, in Committee we explored the meaning of ““designated consumers””. For the purposes of the Bill they are consumers who are losing their representative body, be it...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Miller of Chilthorne Domer, and the noble Lord, Lord Razzall, for tabling the amendment and enabling us to discuss this issue once again. Clause 3 defines ““designated consumers”” as consumers of mains electricity and mains gas and postal services, and...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Miller of Chilthorne Domer, and the noble Lord, Lord Razzall, for tabling the amendment and enabling us to discuss this issue once again. Clause 3 defines ““designated consumers”” as consumers of mains electricity and mains gas and postal services, and...

My Lords, my amendment was merely a means of exploring the problem further. I am glad that I tabled it, because the issue needs to be addressed. I am not sure that I am happy with the clarity of the Minister’s reply, because the three sectors concerned here—energy, postal services...

My Lords, my amendment was merely a means of exploring the problem further. I am glad that I tabled it, because the issue needs to be addressed. I am not sure that I am happy with the clarity of the Minister’s reply, because the three sectors concerned here—energy, postal services...

My Lords, I remain completely dense about all of this. Does the use of ““market”” mean a group of designated consumers, or is it the marketplace?

My Lords, I remain completely dense about all of this. Does the use of ““market”” mean a group of designated consumers, or is it the marketplace?

My Lords, I am referring to consumers not suffering particular problems. I will write to the noble Baroness, Lady O’Cathain, on the issue. If I may continue to clarify that point, the concept of ““designated consumers”” permits the new council to undertake specific functions in respect of consumers of regulated...

My Lords, I am referring to consumers not suffering particular problems. I will write to the noble Baroness, Lady O’Cathain, on the issue. If I may continue to clarify that point, the concept of ““designated consumers”” permits the new council to undertake specific functions in respect of consumers of regulated...

moved Amendment No. 1: 1: Clause 1 , page 2, line 2, at end insert— ““(3A) The territorial committees may exercise, on behalf of the Council, the following functions— (a) in the case of the Scottish Consumer Council, the Council’s functions under sections 7 to 16, 18 and 20 to...

moved Amendment No. 1: 1: Clause 1 , page 2, line 2, at end insert— ““(3A) The territorial committees may exercise, on behalf of the Council, the following functions— (a) in the case of the Scottish Consumer Council, the Council’s functions under sections 7 to 16, 18 and 20 to...

My Lords, I was not able to take part in the proceedings so far on the Bill but I have read them with interest. The Minister has virtually rewritten this part of the Bill. Why on earth did the Government pay so little attention to the requirements of devolution that...

My Lords, I was not able to take part in the proceedings so far on the Bill but I have read them with interest. The Minister has virtually rewritten this part of the Bill. Why on earth did the Government pay so little attention to the requirements of devolution that...

My Lords, the correspondence I have had with the Scottish Consumer Council representatives ““as is”” tends to suggest that they are very happy with the outcome of these discussions. It is to the Minister’s credit that he took on board the anxieties of a number of us and the consumer...

My Lords, the correspondence I have had with the Scottish Consumer Council representatives ““as is”” tends to suggest that they are very happy with the outcome of these discussions. It is to the Minister’s credit that he took on board the anxieties of a number of us and the consumer...

moved Amendments Nos. 2 and 3: 2: Clause 1, page 2, leave out line 3 and insert— ““(4) A territorial committee also has the following purposes—”” 3: Clause 1, Divide Clause 1 into two clauses, the first (Establishment of the National Consumer Council and its territorial committees) to consist of...

moved Amendments Nos. 2 and 3: 2: Clause 1, page 2, leave out line 3 and insert— ““(4) A territorial committee also has the following purposes—”” 3: Clause 1, Divide Clause 1 into two clauses, the first (Establishment of the National Consumer Council and its territorial committees) to consist of...

moved Amendment No. 4: 4: Clause 2, page 2, line 25, at end insert— ““( ) a ““consumer”” includes a person who purchases, uses or receives goods or services for the purpose of their own business;”” The noble Lord said: I return to this amendment following Committee, in part because...

moved Amendment No. 4: 4: Clause 2, page 2, line 25, at end insert— ““( ) a ““consumer”” includes a person who purchases, uses or receives goods or services for the purpose of their own business;”” The noble Lord said: I return to this amendment following Committee, in part because...

My Lords, I question the usefulness and desirability of the amendment. Indeed, I am rather surprised that the Opposition have brought it forward again on Report in more or less the same form as it was in Grand Committee. When the amendment was moved in Grand Committee bythe noble Baroness,...

My Lords, I question the usefulness and desirability of the amendment. Indeed, I am rather surprised that the Opposition have brought it forward again on Report in more or less the same form as it was in Grand Committee. When the amendment was moved in Grand Committee bythe noble Baroness,...