How have Brexit and Covid affected consumer law and enforcement? MPs to quiz experts
1 March 2022
The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee will question experts from Which? the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, Citizens Advice and the Ombudsman Services on the UK’s consumer rights laws and enforcement, on Tuesday 1st March at 10.30am.
- Watch the session on Parliament TV
- Inquiry: Post-pandemic economic growth: State Aid and Post Brexit Competition Policy
- Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee
This session is part of the Committee’s inquiry into state aid and post Brexit competition policy, and will be used to examine the work of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in relation to its consumer powers.
It will also be used to assess what impact Brexit and the pandemic have had on consumer rights and protections, and how the UK’s regulations could be improved with divergence from EU regulations.
The witnesses are likely to be asked about how effective the UK’s consumer enforcement bodies, such as Trading Standards and Ombudsman Services, are at protecting customers and providing redress, and about the public’s awareness of these protections.
MPs on the cross-party Committee are also likely to ask witnesses for their views on proposals laid out in the Government’s Reforming Competition and Consumer Policy consultation, which it says will promote competition and give the CMA “enhanced powers to tackle consumer rip-offs and bad business practices”.
There may also be questions about ways to improve protections for consumers when shopping online, and about the impact that Covid-19 has had on the aviation sector.
Witnesses
Tuesday 1 March 2022
At 10.30am:
- Rocio Concha, Director of Policy and Advocacy and Chief Economist, Which?
- Matthew Upton, Director of Policy, Citizens Advice
- Matthew Vickers, CEO and Chief Ombudsman, Ombudsman Services
- Steve Ruddy, Chair of the Board, Chartered Trading Standards Institute