HC Deb 24 March 2003 vol 402 cc30-1W
Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make it her policy to ensure that the Office of Fair Trading(a) more closely polices companies which may be in breach of the Consumer Contracts Regulations and (b) enforces stricter penalties on companies in breach of this contract. [104104]

Miss Melanie Johnson

Under the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999, the Director General of Fair Trading (DGFT) has a duty to consider complaints about unfair terms in standard contracts between sellers or suppliers and consumers. The DGFT can and does act to stop terms he considers unfair. Action usually results in the terms being revised or deleted by agreement but the DGFT can if necessary apply to the Courts for an injunction to prevent the continued use of the term(s) concerned.