Consumer Rights Bill

I am very disappointed because the response we have had sounds like a wonderfully constructed Civil Service briefing. There is a very simple definition of merchantable quality. When I was Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, I was already very concerned about people not being aware of their rights. I therefore introduced an education pack into schools. I introduced it in every type of school. First, the children—young men and women—concerned were very interested. They did not find any difficulty in defining merchantable quality. One, who was only 10 years old, said, “My mother just bought a knife that says it was extremely sharp. It doesn’t cut anything. Is that merchantable quality or not?” That is simple to answer. I am not suggesting the kind of information provided at the point of sale needs to be complicated; it is very important that it would be drafted in a way that was comprehensible to most people, not too long and not too detailed. If this amendment was finally passed I would want to have a great deal to say about a description of merchantable quality, both from experience and, believe it or not, from school children.