§ Mr. Stephen O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the(a) responsibilities and (b) planned expenditure of Consumer Direct for each year between 2003 and 2006. [157196]
§ Mr. SutcliffeThe information is as follows:
- a. The responsibilities of Consumer Direct are: to provide consistent consumer advice by telephone, e-mail and online, thereby improving accessibility and meeting unmet demand estimated at 400,000 to 1.5 million calls per year; to improve the quality and coverage of information for Trading Standards through access to a central consumer complaints database; and to refer consumers who need additional help and support to the agencies best placed to assist them, including Trading Standards and Citizens Advice Bureaux.
- b. The service will provide clear, practical advice for consumers who want to: sort out problems with suppliers of goods and services; know their rights as consumers; report scams and find out how to avoid them; receive advice on how to seek out reputable traders. The overriding aim is to empower consumers to resolve issues themselves. It will not provide product specific information or recommend individual organisations or service providers, nor will it intervene with a trader on a consumer's behalf.
Consumer Direct will begin operation in four Pathfinder nations/regions this summer (Scotland, Wales, Yorkshire and the Humber, and the South West Nationwide rollout (excluding Northern Ireland) will be completed by 2007.
(b)The planned expenditure of Consumer Direct is:
(£) million 2003–04 3 2004–05 11 2005–06 16 This expenditure may be subject to adjustment depending on the speed of roll out following implementation of the pathfinders.
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