back to menuBecause of this campaign, started by the Sunday Times, I have been receiving an increasing number of calls from the media, all wanting to know NfCG views.
The campaign is backed by a large number of statistics. A Rover 214 car is said to cost more than "half as much again" in Birmingham as it does in Lyons. Comparing prices with mainland Europe is difficult because of the difference in costs and taxes between this country and our neighbours, but the discrepancy for many items appears much greater than can be accounted for by these differences.
It is likely to be more difficult for UK firms to argue with the figures when they are produced by the Government's official statisticians as has been promised. On the other hand, by judicious shopping and choosing the lower price range of goods, it is possible for us all to live much more cheaply.
Telecommunications, broadcasting and the information technology industry are increasingly combining their services.
The National Consumer Council, in its response to the Department of Trade & Industry consultation paper "Regulating Communications", calls for one Regulator to cover the whole industry. The prime duty of this Regulator should be to protect consumer interests, so he or she should be accompanied by an independent Communications Consumer Council. The regulation of the BBC should be part of its remit. The report "OFCOM - A coherent approach to regulating communications" costs £6 from NCC.
It is not just that the soft drink Barr's Irn-Bru sells more in the packaged groceries market than Coca-Cola. In all, 50% more carbonated drinks are sold in Scotland than in England, as well as 48% more chocolate biscuits and 33% more alcohol and tobacco products. Perhaps the 60% extra sale of canned soup has something to do with the weather.
Also one wonders why more branded products are sold than in the rest of the UK? Maybe it is because a higher percentage of income is left to spend on consumables, as 65% more Scots live in rented council properties, 35% of them as flat dwellers. They also own 11% fewer cars. (Figures from "British Brands", the newsletter of NfCG Corporate Associate British Brands Group).
A reader has sent me the fees charged by the Basildon Crematorium, which she considers to be exploitative of those who are in an emotional state, having been recently bereaved.
An entry in the Book of Remembrance seems the least that grieving relatives can do for their loved one. A two-line inscription costs £42 going up to £110 for 8 lines with an illustration. A folded Remembrance Card costs from £20 to £60 and a miniature Book of Remembrance £42 to £90. A bush rose with plaque costs £125 for a 5-year lease, going up to £280 for a standard rose and a 10-year lease.
Wall plaques are removed after only ten years and cost £230. My correspondent considers that removal of plaques after such a short time will deprive those relatives still living of memorials which in a cemetery would be retained for much longer. This is all in addition to the cremation fees which, on average, have gone up by £390 to £1,100 in eight years (by 55% with inflation at 29%).
Choosing the right travel firm for your holiday can save not only money, but also a great deal of anxiety. The Times quotes a Co-op Travelcare poll which finds that 32 people in every hundred of those travelling with Cosmos register a complaint. First Choice are next, followed by Sunworld and Airtours (1.45%). Haven Holidays were lowest of those quoted, with only three in a thousand travellers complaining.
Official figures would be helpful as British Airways Holidays, Kuoni, Panorama, Shearings and Hoseasons would not give information. The average estimate is that one or two holidaymakers in a hundred make a complaint, which suggests something is still very wrong in the travel industry.
All GPs will be able to obtain a free computerised, prescribing decision-support system, says the Chief Medical Officer in the CMO's Update. "During a consultation a clinician can enter a patient's diagnosis into the PRODIGY system, which suggests appropriate treatment regimes".
Unfortunately it does not seem as if it will be able to make the diagnosis, which can be the hardest part of the consultation. We can only hope this infant prodigy will continue to develop in future life. In the meantime MIMS, the doctor's commercial prescribing bible, is also to be offered free on computer.
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