§ Mr. FrenchTo ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what is his assessment of the benefits that the Property Misdescriptions Act 1991 has brought to home buyers;
(2) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Property Misdescriptions Act 1991; and what plans he has to amend it.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe Act was introduced to deter estate agents from making inaccurate statements about property. It has had practical effect only since April 1993, when the Property Misdescriptions (Specified Matters) Order 1992 came into force. It takes time for new legislation to settle and it is too soon to be able to judge how effectively the Act and the order are operating.
§ Mr. FrenchTo ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) how many convictions there have been under the Property Misdescriptions Act 1991;
(2) how many prosecutions have been brought under the Property Misdescriptions Act 1991.
§ Mr. McLoughlinAs of 29 June 1994, the Office of Fair Trading had been notified of six prosecutions under the Property Misdescriptions Act 1991, all of which resulted in convictions.