§ Mr. BlizzardTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support she will give to local trading standards authorities seeking to protect the public from mass marketing scams. [188450]
§ Mr. SutcliffeWe have provided funding to Trading Standards to support and encourage more joined up effective enforcement; the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has also assisted Trading Standards Departments by providing training to around 2,500 Trading Standards Officers over the past year.
1728WSMost mass marketing scams operate from outside the UK. The OFT works with the network of enforcement agencies called ICPEN (International Consumer Protection Enforcement Network) to investigate and take action against cross-border scams.