§ Mr. SarwarTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will make a statement on the regulation of the timeshare industry in the United Kingdom; [94435]
(2) what statutory provisions govern the regulation of timeshare operations in the United Kingdom. [94434]
§ Dr. HowellsRegulation of timeshare operations in the United Kingdom are governed by the Timeshare Act 1992, as amended by the Timeshare Regulations 1997.
§ Mr. SarwarTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Timeshare Act 1992 and Timeshare Regulations 1997 in relation to the regulation of the timeshare industry. [94436]
§ Dr. HowellsI believe that the Timeshare Act has been effective and that timeshare in the UK is generally well run. Since the Act came into force in 1992, the level of complaints about timeshare made to the Office of Fair Trading has fallen significantly from over 11,500 in 1991–92 to less than half that number today—but there is no room for complacency with over 5,000 complaints every year. I intend to use the forthcoming consultation exercise to assess whether aspects of the legislation need updating.
§ Mr. SarwarTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to strengthen the regulations, under the Timeshare Act 1992 and Timeshare Regulations 1997, in respect of claims made by individuals against timeshare operators. [94437]
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§ Dr. HowellsAs set out in the Consumer White Paper "Modern Markets: Confident Consumers", the Government plans to review timeshare legislation to see whether aspects of it need updating. My Department will consult interested parties on our proposals before the end of this year.