Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, how the Approved Code for the home improvement sector will interact with the Competition and Markets Authority's principles for trader recommendation platforms.

The Furniture and Home Improvement Ombudsman (FHIO) will deliver an Approved Code that traders can sign up to. The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) will provide oversight of the Approved Code. The Approved Code will have built-in Alternative Dispute Resolution for consumer redress.

Trusted Payments was developed in collaboration with the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman (DRO), who have business links to FHIO, to provide a service that traders and consumers can use to ensure money is held safely in escrow while work is completed.

Government supported the launch as it improves consumer choice and protection in a key sector where detriment levels are consistently high. The Government will monitor the success of the scheme, including take-up and the number of disputes resolved.

The FHIO worked with industry during development, and the announcement was welcomed by a range of bodies, including the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, Citizens Advice and Which?.

Trader recommendation platforms are not directly affected, but the Government expects them to play their part in keeping rogue builders out of the market.