[holding answer 2 February 2007]: On 7 September 2006, I announced the Government's response to the public consultation on doorstep selling and cold calling. These measures will provide consumers, including the elderly and vulnerable, with stronger protection from rogue door-to-door sales people. The measures will:
(a) give consumers similar cancellation rights and cooling off periods for all sales concluded or agreed with a trader in a consumer's home, to those consumers currently have for unsolicited visits (where they are able to cancel a contract within seven days).
(b) require cancellation notices to be provided within contracts; and
(c) encourage greater transparency on prices and greater willingness to provide written quotes.
The Consumer Estate Agents and Redress Bill was introduced to the House of Lords on the 16 November 2006, which will provide powers to amend the regulations to allow extension of the cancellation rights and cooling-off period to solicited visits.
The announcement has been widely welcomed by interested parties including Age Concern and Citizens Advice.
This year we will also implement the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive into UK law, which introduces a general duty on traders not to treat consumers unfairly and provides new protections against aggressive marketing and selling methods. Cold calling is not illegal and OFT's market study in 2004 concluded that doorstep selling from reputable traders did provide some benefits to consumers. These new measures are designed to tackle "rogue" traders and protect vulnerable consumers.