CTSI HAS ITS SAY Some of the institutes contributions to government policy debate Person perplexed at lengthy Terms & Conditions document Terms and conditions: call for evidence Child safety online: age verication for pornography Sentencing code project consultative document Terms and conditions: call for evidence Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, April 2016 Trading standards services regularly receive referrals relating to situations where consumers have not read the terms and conditions of a contract they have entered into. Complaints include additional payments being taken from a consumers account for free-trial-type contracts. Although terms and conditions may clearly set out these charges, consumers will be unaware of them because, typically, they have not read them citing length, complexity, size of the text, and lack of time to read through them. A contract should be an appropriate length for its type and the way in which the information is accessed whether via hard copy, computer or mobile phone. A maximum length for contracts, making them appearless onerous than longer documents, may encourage consumers to read them. Language used, size of font visible to the consumer, and clarity of the terms and conditions would also be important factors, as people may still be unable to read and understand a shorter contract if it is complicated. Succinct, bold and upfront terms and conditions are likely to encourage reading, as is bringing key information to the consumers attention in a clear and easily accessible way. Encouraging businesses to be as clear and transparent as possible with their consumers would improve peoples ability to make an informed decision when purchasing goods and services, and is likely to reduce the number of complaints received by businesses and advice agencies about charges, key deadlines and cancellation rights. Having a clear requirement for businesses to give consumers a summary of the key terms and conditions would enhance clarity, consistency and transparency for consumers and businesses. CTSI would have liked more opportunity to discuss a regulators perspective on some of the points raised during this consultation, andwould be happy to meet with officials to discuss the issues in moredepth. Lead officer: Jemma Robinson For more details, and to contribute to consultations such as these, visit www.tradingstandards.uk Credits Images: Mircea RUBA / MyImages - Micha To share this page, in the toolbar click on You might also like CTSI has its say May 2016 / McIek / Shutterstock Child safety online: age verication for pornography Department for Culture, Media and Sport, April 2016 In addition to the dedicated online survey response form already submitted, CTSI supports government action to legislate to ensure comprehensive age verification for access to online pornography. Itbelieves that the planned approach will encourage businesses to workwith supply chain providers to enable such verification to be possible, and to take place. However, trading standards experience of online age verification for other age-restricted products suggests that many businesses have found it difficult to do, and precautions taken have been inadequate to ensure protection for young people. CTSI is involved in the development of online age and identity verification through work with the British Standards Institution ona Publicly Available Specification(PAS) standard, and with the Digital Policy Alliance. Our lead officer for age-restricted sales chairs the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills-sponsored expert panel on age-restricted products, where this topic has been discussed and best-practice guidance produced for retailers to follow. The expert panel consists of industry experts from a regulatory background and national retailers, who are keen to share knowledge and work to ensure a common approach. Furthermore, the governments intended approach offers future opportunities to mandate age verification to other age-restricted products, such as knives and tobacco. Legislation is drafted to enable other products and regulators to be added at a later date, after appropriate consultation, which would enhance protection for minors and reduce the need for additional legislation. Businesses already find that age-restricted products are regulated in apiecemeal fashion, which creates training issues for staff and additional complications for compliance. Lead officer: Brandon Cook For more details, and to contribute to consultations such as these, visit www.tradingstandards.uk Sentencing code project consultative document Law Commission, April 2016 CTSI welcomes the Law Commissions sentencing code project and is supportive of measures to achieve the desired outcomes of streamlining, clarifying, achieving consistency, simplifying and making improvements. Increased effectiveness, improved efficiency, fewer appeals, and greater timeliness as well as lower costs will be better for all concerned. It considers this project an important complement to the Ministry of Justices Strategy and Action Plan to ensure a more efficient and proportionate criminal justice system. While acknowledging that the current project does not cover sentencing tariffs, CTSI suggests that there may be a need for a project on this subject, addressing topics such as the perception that crimes perpetrated online attract a lesser fine than those perpetrated ofine, and the need for legislation to steer towards sentences that reect the seriousness of the work in which trading standards officers are now involved particularly in the targeting of organised crime groups. Lead officer: Sandy Driskell, CTSI information officer For more details, and to contribute to consultations such as these, visit www.tradingstandards.uk