News Government commits to more funds for National Trading Standards The government has promised more funds for National Trading Standards (NTS) from April 2017, to allow it to continue its enforcement work against secondary-ticketing sites. In its response to Professor Michael Watersons recommendation report on consumer protection issues, concerning online secondaryticketing sites, the government has identified the sale of counterfeit and duplicate tickets as a national enforcement issue, and said it will make additional resources available for NTS to continue action in this area. It is expected that the extra funding will be needed for the next three years. The government will also undertake dialogue through the Consumer Protection Partnership (CPP) to determine how this enforcement work can be built upon to focus on breaches of the Consumer Rights Act (CRA) 2015. Watersons recommendations included placing a clear onus on secondary-ticketing platforms to ensure their sellers comply with the relevant provisions of the Consumer Rights Act 2015. He recognised that enforcement of consumer protection legislation relies, to a great extent, on the resources of local trading standards services, and they have to balance this need with competing priorities for example, unsafe goods. Nonetheless, he recommended that a mechanism be devised to monitor the major secondary-ticketing platforms to ensure compliance with the CRA. He also proposed that a lead body such as NTS should carry out a concerted investigation of compliance, followed by action coordinated with the police. A spokesperson for NTS said: We welcome the governments response and look forward to working closely with it to confirm fundingand resources to help tackle breaches of consumer protection law in the online secondary-ticketing market. NTS is looking to conduct a number of national investigations next year, subject to confirmation ofits resources. crackdown on misleading consumer practices continuous payments often used for buying products online and four in five people had issues cancelling after being signed up without their knowledge. In response to the announcement, Citizens Advice chief executive Gillian Guy said: Subscription traps are one of the many nasty surprises that can be hidden in the small print. Firms are bamboozling consumers with lengthy terms and conditions and complicated clauses, making it really difficult for people to know what theyre signing up to. The governments welcome clampdown in this area will help people know where they stand and challenge unfair practices. Istock.com/kutuBQ The government announced last month that it will be cracking down on misleading consumer practices, including subscription traps, where people are not aware they have agreed to pay for products or services. a report from Citizens advice last year found as many as two million people struggle to cancel New powers for website takedowns New powers for national authorities to: check whether e-commerce websites geo-block* consumers; track down rogue traders; or even order subject to safeguards inserted by MEPs that websites hosting scams be shut down, were approved by the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection last month. Under this draft legislation, national enforcement authorities would be required to have a set of powers to detect and halt online breaches of consumers rights across the EU. The draft rules aim to close legal loopholes created by the fact that enforcement powers differ from one EU country to the next. They require EU member states authorities to have a number of investigation and enforcement powers, such as:to request information from domain registrars and banksto help them detect rogue traders; purchase, inspect and reverse engineer goods or services as test purchases including under a cover identity; and to order a hosting service provider to remove content, suspend or close down websites that host scams. MEPs inserted safeguards to enable national authorities to order the suspension of a website as an interim measure, only where there are no other means available to prevent the risk of serious and irreparable harm to collective interests of consumers. If, after a request by the competent authority, there is no effective reaction by the trader to put an end to the infringement, it could, as a last resort, order a hosting service provider to remove content or close down a website, service or account. MEPs agreed that the period for national authorities to impose sanctions, order a trader to compensate consumers and order the restitution of profits obtained as a result of infringements should be set at five years. The committee has given its negotiating team a mandate to start talks with the council and the commission to reach an agreement on the final law. Footnote *Geo-blocking is a form of technological protection where access to internet nao warning over vulnerable consumers and local authority funding The National Audit Office says regulators in the water, energy, telecommunications and financial services sectors could do more to support the increasing number of vulnerable consumers. The report, published last month (March) found that, while regulators have improved their understanding of vulnerability, and have made some progress in working with their industries to improve support for vulnerable consumers, the respective responsibilities of regulators and government are not sufficiently clear. It said that regulators duties to protect vulnerable consumers can conflict with other measures designed to benefit consumers in general, and regulatory interventions alone can be insufficient to protect all vulnerable consumer groups. It added that regulators recognise the need to work together more closely, but progress to date has been limited. Industry-wide, it said that regulatory interventions are often limited and inconsistent in reach and impact. A second NAO report, also published last month, questioned whether the plan for local authorities to retain business rates will be fit for purpose. It raised concerns that there wouldnt be enough money in the system to let services be delivered on the right scale and for self-sufficiency to succeed. content is restricted based upon the users geographical location. nissan urged to recall navara Nissan is facing increasing calls to recall its Navara model after dozens of them snapped in half. Navara owners have made complaints that rust is seriously weakening the chassis and has caused a large number to break in two. They have accused Nissan of keeping the problem under wraps and are pressing for a full product recall. The Japanese manufacturer admits that it has known about the problem for a year, and says it has taken action to resolve the complaints of any consumers who have contacted it, but has not made an official recall. Conservative MP Huw Merriman raised the issue at the Transport Select Committee, and a repsonse is awaited from the manufacturer. The rust problem mainly affects Nissan Navara D40s manufactured in Spain between 2005 and 2008.