back to menuThe Financial Services Consumer Panel received statutory status in June. It was established by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in December 1998 to provide advice about the interests and concerns of consumers of financial services and to assess the FSA's effectiveness in achieving its objectives to protect consumers' interests and promote public understanding of the financial system. It has, therefore, a very important role to play.
On June 18th, when the relevant sections of the Financial Services and Markets Act came into effect, it became a statutory duty for the FSA to maintain the Consumer Panel and to consider representations from it. The same arrangements have been made for the Practitioner Panel, which represents the interests of practitioners and which received statutory status at the same time.
The work loads that people like Alma Williams carry out are almost unbelievable, as detailed in her article about revising the General Product Safety Directive on page 14. The Law Centre at the University of Louvainla-Neuve commenting about the 1994 GPSD said "you would need a degree in EU law to understand it". It takes a very special person to be the rapporteur of the study group set up to revise it. She highlights the need for more and better consumer representation on Standards bodies. But where are they to come from? It seems to me that a major role of the new National Consumer Federation must be to find, train and maintain a database of such people, and as quickly as possible.
A lady called Clare Spreadbury sent me details of a new Bosch Washing Machine, billed as 'the intelligent washing machine that delivers the best and fastest wash ever'. It is called the Maxx IT, by the way. We do not normally describe new domestic appliances in Consumer News, but this one interested me because I have never mastered the intricacies of the various programmes which my present machine offers. Sadly the Maxx does not solve my problem. I still have to tell it what programme to use, so it is not that intelligent. It does, however, have what I think is a very important facility - a pause programme. Now I can stop it and add to the wash those odds and ends that I forgot, or found lurking at the bottom of the dirty clothes basket. It does seem to do the washing in double quick time and, no doubt, spins it ready for ironing equally quickly.
And now a difficult question to answer. Why is it that when one has carefully ironed a shirt and laid it out on the bed to change into does the cat sit on it when it has all the rest of the bed to choose from?
In July "The Careful Cake Company", received the Vegetarian Society 'Best Vegetarian Dessert' award for 2001 for its Chocolate Fudge Cake. This cake is nut free, egg free, dairy free, GM free and soya free and has no artificial colouring or additives. In fact one wonders what it is made of and what it tastes like? It is, however, the first commercial cake to make these claims and be acceptable to allergy, especially nut allergy, sufferers. "The Careful Cake Company", is part of Kinnerton Confectionery, and the cake itself is available in Sainsbury's shops. Will someone please try it out and report on the taste?
I am not actually surprised to learn from a Ramblers Association letter to Stuart Coverley that where footpaths have been closed because of the Foot and Mouth epidemic, their opening when the all clear has been declared is much slower than the closure. The Association said at the end of July that it was receiving reports of paths which should have been reopened but which remain blocked by obstructions. Some, it seems, are blocked with barbed wire, crops planted, padlocks and 'keep out' signs. The Association's Way Ahead day is on 7th October.
The sentence: "Write, phone, send a floppy disk, fax or e-mail to the Editor and tell us what you think" appears elsewhere in Consumer News. It makes me think what a wonderful array of means of communication we now have available to us. Do we appreciate and make use of them to full effect? One strange happening is that when people give me their e-mail address and I try to use it I frequently find that it is wrong.
We are fortunate that a number of people contribute to Consumer News and agencies such as the FSA, the OFT and the FSA send press releases. Nevertheless new contributors and letter writers are always needed. Please send me your bon mots concerning anything related to consumers, news, views, problems and suggestions.
Write or send a floppy disk to The Editor, 6 Priory Gardens, Dartford. DA1 213E, phone or fax to 01322 280673 or e-mail to john.brown6@virgin.net. The next issue will appear in October so I need your contributions by the first week in September.
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