Unfair Commercial Practices Directive

Alan Duncan
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what progress has been made in implementing the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive;

(2) when he plans to introduce regulations to implement the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive.

Mr. McCartney
[holding answer 11 June 2007]: On 29 May I published a consultation paper seeking views on draft Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations to implement the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive. On the same day the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) published a consultation on joint OFT/DTI draft guidance to accompany the regulations. The deadline for responses to both consultations is 21 August. The regulations will be made in the autumn to come into force on 6 April 2008. The guidance will be finalised at the end of this year or in early 2008.