My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for highlighting both the work that we are doing on the implementation of the Bill and that this implementation is vital if the measures are to make the differences that we intend.
We have published our plans for implementation online, at gov.uk, and we have written to all noble Lords about them. These plans have been drawn up in close co-operation with the experts on our implementation group. These are the people who know how this will really on the ground for business, consumers and enforcers. We intend the Consumer Rights Bill to come into force in October 2015. Work to inform businesses of the pending changes in the law will begin in earnest in April 2015. This will include the publication of guidance that is easy to understand and will be supported by the sterling work of trade associations and enforcers to educate and assist businesses.
Businesses will have six months to make any changes to processes and information to meet the requirements under the Bill. They will be able to see at a glance the key changes in the law. They will also easily be able to find more detailed guidance as and when they need it. The noble Baroness rightly emphasised the need for consumers to be aware of their rights, while other noble Lords expressed similar thoughts. As we have said many times, the Government believe that we must ensure that consumers understand their new rights and obligations. That is essential and I know that is something on which we can agree.
That is why we are working closely with relevant organisations, particularly consumer groups, to ensure that consumers have a basic awareness of their updated rights and that they know where to get advice on a specific problem with faulty goods, services and digital content. The primary source of this advice will be the excellent Citizens Advice website and helpline, but of course the work of other consumer groups will be vital and we will work with key organisations to get the message across.
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Unlike businesses, consumers will not need to know about the changes until closer to the time at which they come into force. The experts on our implementation group all agree on this. To publicise the new law too early could lead to confusion about which rights apply when, where and how. The noble Baroness’s amendment mentions,
“key rights at the point of sale”.
We have discussed this at some length in Committee. I am happy to reiterate that we have worked with business groups and consumer groups to develop a high-level summary of consumer rights. This summary covers our rights when we buy goods, services and digital content. It is a very important element of the work to implement the Bill. As we have discussed in earlier sessions, we believe a voluntary, flexible approach will be effective without causing unnecessary burdens and costs. A summary of these key consumer rights will be central to the work to publicise the changes under the Bill. When we publish this summary, I shall be very happy to place a copy in the Library.
I assure noble Lords that everyone will be hearing a great deal about the new consumer rights, particularly around the time of commencement. We will be using a wide variety of channels: social media, traditional media, trade associations, consumer campaigns, enforcer education and online guidance, to list a few. We will be keeping Parliament informed. Noble Lords can rest assured that they will hear about the changes next October.
I also remind noble Lords about the good work being done by trading standards, and this is perhaps a theme that we can all play together. It is playing a crucial role in reducing the complexity of the consumer landscape and in strengthening the effectiveness of enforcement. BIS sets key performance indicators for the National Trading Standards Board, and agrees its business plan at the beginning of each financial year.
The NTSB is then required to send the department quarterly performance and finance reports of progress against its business plan, and a full annual report at the end of the year. Ultimately, it is accountable to Parliament, via the public accounts process, for the delivery of its activities related to the grant that it receives from the department. Therefore, all in all, noble Lords can be assured that Parliament will be kept well informed about work to improve the consumer landscape. I do not think that a formal requirement to report on commencement is necessary in the legislation.
With regard to consumers in the regulated sectors, it is important that consumers in these sectors are also aware of their rights, in particular around matters such as refunds, repairs or replacements, and that traders are aware of their responsibilities. Noble Lords have raised some important points with this amendment and I have an enormous amount of sympathy with what is being said. I refer noble Lords back to my comments on Amendments 52 and 105A about what regulators are already doing to help consumers and to take into account their interests. In addition, I also refer back to comments made on those amendments on the excellent work being done by the citizens advice bureaux to help consumers in these sectors understand their rights.
In Amendment 63AA the noble Baroness rightly emphasises the need for consumers to be aware of their new rights. As I have just outlined, we have a robust plan in place to ensure that both consumers and business become more aware of their rights and responsibilities. Therefore, while I agree with the sentiment behind this amendment, it will simply duplicate existing work and cause confusion, and I therefore ask the noble Baroness to withdraw it.