Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to make changes to the (a) accreditation, (b) certification and (c) guarantee regime of (i) installers and (ii) retrofit coordinators working under (A) ECO4, (B) future Warm Homes Plan programmes and (C) other Government-funded retrofit schemes to prevent (1) rogue and (2) negligent firms participating.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government is reviewing the system of consumer protection and oversight for home retrofit installations that improve energy efficiency and decarbonise homes. This work is looking at the entire landscape: from how installers work in people’s homes to where homeowners turn for rapid action and enforcement if things go wrong. More information will be shared in the forthcoming Warm Homes Plan.
The government is planning to consult on proposals for retrofit system reform early next year.
Asked by: Amanda Martin (Labour - Portsmouth North)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to encourage enforcement action by the Competition and Markets Authority on consumer protection.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Competition and Markets Authority's decision-making is independent of government. Each parliament the government issues a Strategic Steer to the CMA setting out its priorities. Earlier this year the government encouraged the CMA to use its range of tools, including consumer enforcement, “to grow the economy through promoting consumer trust and confidence, while deterring poor corporate practices.”
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, which we brought into force in April of this year, strengthened consumer law enforcement by giving the CMA new administrative powers, and empowering the CMA and courts to impose significant monetary penalties of up to 10% of turnover.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has taken place of the effectiveness of measures to tackle the resale of dangerous part worn tyres.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s Market Surveillance Unit works closely with local Trading Standards teams to carry out checks on garages selling part worn tyres, enforcing sanctions where necessary.
Any retailer selling part-worn tyres which fail to meet these requirements is breaking the law under the Consumer Protection Act 1987 and could be subject to a substantial fine or prison sentence.
Tyres are safety-critical components and are checked as part of the MOT test, ensuring tyres have adequate tread depth and are free from cuts or bulges. Any vehicle with defective tyres will fail an MOT test and is not permitted to be driven on the road.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk to consumers using AI chatbots for financial advice, following the consumer study findings from Which? stating such tools provided inaccurate financial advice.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government recognises that many people lack the support they need to make financial decisions and are increasingly turning to technologies such as general purpose large language models for help.
Together with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the government wants to ensure that people can receive meaningful support from firms they know and trust, such as their bank or pension provider. That is why we are enabling trusted firms to do more to proactively support their customers.
To deliver this, the government is introducing a new regime for targeted support, which will allow firms to engage directly with customers and suggest products or courses of action for their financial situation. As announced by the Chancellor at Mansion House, targeted support will be available online in time for the next financial year.
Alongside this, the UK’s data protection framework applies to the processing of personal data across the design, development and deployment of AI tools. Organisations are required to ensure that personal data is processed fairly, lawfully, transparently, and securely. People also have a number of rights over how their personal data is used, such as the right of access, rectification, or erasure.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to review the regulatory framework for postal services, including the oversight of parcel courier companies and their contribution to the universal postal network.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ofcom is the independent regulator for the postal sector with the responsibility and powers to regulate postal services.
Ofcom requires all postal operators to establish, make available, and comply with transparent, simple, and inexpensive procedures for dealing with consumers’ complaints about the services they receive.
The government will continue to work with the regulator to ensure that the framework supports fair competition, consumer protection and the long-term sustainability of the universal postal network.
Asked by: John Whittingdale (Conservative - Maldon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will amend the Financial Promotions Order to remove the exemption for self-certified sophisticated investors.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The financial promotion regime includes a number of targeted exemptions that are designed to reduce regulatory burdens, including for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) seeking to raise capital through sophisticated private investors.
The previous government brought forward proposals to amend the exemptions for self-certified sophisticated investors and high-net-worth individuals, which came into effect in January 2024. Those reforms aimed to strike a balance between increasing consumer protection and preserving the ability of SMEs to raise capital.
However, following significant concerns having been raised about the impact of these changes on SMEs raising capital, the previous Chancellor announced at Spring Budget 2024 that the government would legislate to reinstate the previous eligibility criteria. Those changes came into effect on 27 March 2024.
The Government has no plans to remove the exemption for self-certified sophisticated investors.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the policy rationale is for clause 31(7) of the Railways Bill, which provides that the obligation to provide or secure the provision of designated railway passenger services does not give rise to civil liability; and whether she has assessed how this limitation of liability aligns with (a) accountability within the new rail system and (b) the protection of passenger rights.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Clause 31(7) of the Bill makes it clear that the Secretary of State, Scottish Ministers or Welsh Ministers cannot be found liable for breach of statutory duty (which allows a person to claim damages in tort) when they provide or secure designated railway passenger services. This mirrors section 50 of the Railways Act 1993 so that the same approach to civil liability is carried over to the new passenger services provisions. There are other examples of this in legislation, such as section 44 of the Railways Act 2005. If Ministers act unlawfully then judicial review is available.
Responsibility for providing designated passenger services will rest largely with Great British Railways (GBR), or, in Scotland or Wales, with another public sector company. GBR will be governed by a cohesive accountability framework. Passenger rights will be protected in that framework with the GBR licence setting minimum consumer standards. The Passenger Watchdog, established to champion passenger interests, will set and monitor these standards, with the Office for Rail and Road able to take enforcement action should these standards not be met.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of regulations governing the use of Microgeneration Certification Scheme certification branding in subcontracted solar PV installations.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Under any DESNZ schemes, microgeneration technologies including rooftop solar must be installed by an MCS-certified installer or equivalent. The installer must use an MCS-approved product and carry out the installation to the relevant MCS installation standard.
However, the Government inherited a fragmented consumer protection framework for installation of energy efficiency measures. We are currently reviewing the broader consumer protection landscape and will bring forward wider system reforms to ensure consumers can have confidence in the quality of installations and protections when upgrading their homes.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of consumer protections in the parcel delivery sector, particularly where subcontracting arrangements are in place.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ofcom is the independent regulator for the postal sector with the responsibility and powers to regulate postal services.
The ‘Mail Integrity Objectives’, set out in Ofcom’s Essential Condition 1, seek to minimise the potential for parcels to be subject to loss, theft, damage or interference. Currently this Essential Condition is effectively restricted to Royal Mail’s services delivered under its universal postal service obligation.
Ofcom engages regularly with all parcel operators to understand their approach to implementation of, and compliance with, its consumer protection measures.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to require artificial-intelligence shopping assistants to disclose when they are acting autonomously on behalf of consumers.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
AI is a general-purpose technology, with a wide range of applications, which is why the UK believes that the vast majority of AI should be regulated at the point of use. A range of existing rules already apply to AI systems, such as data protection, competition, equality legislation, and online safety. In response to the AI Action Plan, the government confirmed it would work with regulators to boost their capabilities.
The Government is committed to preparing the UK for the changes AI will bring and welcomes evidence on novel consumer developments which may inform future policy.