I was about to thank the noble Baroness, Lady Oppenheim-Barnes, for this amendment but, having seen all the troops she has on her side, it might be better for Labour to say, “We think this is dreadful”. It might make it easier for the Minister to accept it. However, I shall resist that temptation because I think that it is a brilliant amendment, and we are happy to support it. Earlier today we clearly failed to persuade the Government to embed the consumer voice right in the top echelons of regulators—that has been the tone of the debate—but this is another way to achieve the same end. The examples given by the noble Baroness, Lady Maddock, as well as those from the noble Lords, Lord Blencathra and Lord Whitty, about different regulators show how often, without that consumer voice, they fail to protect the consumer. The question from the noble Baroness, Lady Wilcox, about who regulates the regulators is very interesting because the answer ought to be, “the consumers”. The more that it is open to them, the better it will be.
The amendment is excellent. It would put in place the possibility of redress without consumers necessarily having to take their individual case to an ombudsman. It would ensure a proper complaints procedure for mistakes and poor service, falling short of a breach of rights, that nevertheless lead to substantial losses to the consumers. As has been said, it is extraordinary that regulators, which are supposedly in existence because a particular market has failed consumers, still often fail to put consumers first. They have allowed users to be muddled by confusing prices, ripped off by poor deals and ignored when making complaints. Consumers are often made to feel like the least important part of the food chain. As my noble friend Lord Berkeley says, it is often without their long-term interests being placed at the centre of regulators’ thoughts.
I look forward with interest to how the Minister is going to accept this amendment—because I am sure that she will.