back to menuThe Department of Trade and Industry (dti) issued the Government’s Consumer White Paper with the above title last July [see the August/September issue (198) of Consumer News] . It heralded an era of competitive markets, access to information and confident consumers. It has been much studied since.
The original document appeared to have a large element of hope without spelling out how the 90 (!) commitments would be achieved. Now a formal plan has been published, with target dates and the name of the dti official who is responsible for achieving each target, together with his or her telephone number and e-mail address. We shall know exactly to whom to send representations.
There are eight measures proposed (see. below). An explanatory paragraph says:
"Knowledgeable, demanding consumers encourage innovation and vigorous competition between firms in order to attract and maintain custom. By knowing where to get the best deal, and by being prepared to switch and change, they help to keep prices low". The High Street experiences over the Christmas and New Year periods appear to have confirmed this.
The paragraph continues: "Some of the commitments have already been met. Others will require new legislation... .many will require close working with other organisations". This is the opportunity for NfCG, mainly through its Legislation and Consumer Affairs Committee, to seek all those reforms we have been advocating over the past 37 years. If you have your own ideas, now is the time to send them to the Chairman of the Committee, Helena Twist.
Already, on a National level, 214 responses to the White Paper (including one from NfCG) have been received by the dti. Each of the 90 commitments is listed in a table, with the contacts, the milestones to be reached, and their target dates, some of which have already been achieved.
Stuart Coverley
The eight proposed measures are:
back to menu