§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Advertising Standards Authority.[126329]
§ Dr. HowellsAs we stated in the White Paper "Modern Markets: Confident Consumers" (Cm 4410 July 1999), the Government strongly support the self-regulatory controls on advertising in the UK run by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). We remain of the view that the ASA is a good example of effective self-regulation, which has succeeded in maintaining standards in the field of advertising.
§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many referrals the OFT has received from the Advertising Standards Authority since 1 May 1997.[126330]
§ Dr. HowellsThe Office of Fair Trading report having received three cases referred for consideration under the Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations 1988 by the Advertising Standards Authority since 1 May 1997.