Consultations
BERR: Consumers are set to benefit from powerful redress schemes, which guarantee them complaint resolution and can award compensation. Proposals on the schemes are being consulted on by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) (closes on 27 September 2007).
Currently, consumer bodies in these sectors can only seek to resolve the thousands of complaints they receive through persuasion, as they have no powers to enforce resolution and cannot specify redress or compensation. The Government intends to place a duty on Ofgem (the gas and electricity regulator) and Postcomm (the postal services regulator) to prescribe new complaint handling standards for their sectors.
These proposals are within the Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Bill, which received it final reading in the House of Commons last week. The Bill contains a range of important provisions that will give greater protection to UK consumers, including that Estate agents will have to belong to an ombudsman scheme.
The position of consumer representation and redress in the water sector will be the subject of a separate consultation in 2008. It is envisaged that the redress schemes in the energy and postal services sectors will be in place by summer 2008.
Press release ~ Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Bill ~ Consumer Redress Schemes in Gas, Electricity and Postal Services – a Consultation Document ~ Partial Regulatory Impact Assessment for extension of redress schemes to the gas, electricity and postal services sectors ~ Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR)
TfL: Docklands Light Railway (DLR), part of Transport for London (TfL), has launched its second phase of consultation (closes 24 August 2007) for its proposed extension to Dagenham Dock with the distribution of over 60,000 leaflets to local residents, organisations and groups to seek opinion on route options.
The proposed connection, which could open in 2016, would extend east from the existing DLR network at Gallions Reach with possible new stations at Beckton Riverside, Creekmouth, Barking Riverside, Dagenham Vale and Dagenham Dock.
