§ Mr. Joseph Deanasked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will consider introducing legislation to make the sale of the credit ratings of private individuals illegal.
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Mr. Alan WilliamsUnder the Consumer Credit Act 1974 no one will be permitted to operate a credit reference agency unless licensed by the Director General of Fair Trading. Licences will not be granted unless the director general is satisfied that that person is fit to operate in this field. In those rare cases where they become available, the bulk records of such agencies will normally be of interest only to other agencies. However, in view of the concern expressed about the recent case I will draw the attention of the director general to the point raised by my hon. Friend.