Gift Vouchers Debate

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Department: Northern Ireland Office
Wednesday 22nd January 2020

(4 years, 2 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord Duncan of Springbank Portrait Lord Duncan of Springbank
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I do indeed offer sympathy to the noble Lord for his heartfelt pain in this regard. He is correct: certain voucher providers will, through inactivity, seek to deduct money from the value. There is a recognition that a card can be part of the bottom line of a company only once it has been redeemed or the expiry date has passed, so there is a logic there. However, the very act of penalising somebody for not using their card sounds both pernicious and unpleasant.

Lord Watts Portrait Lord Watts (Lab)
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My Lords, why should there be any limit whatever on a voucher? After someone has passed their money over to a shopkeeper and the shopkeeper has given them a receipt for goods to buy at a later date, why should they not be able to use it whenever they want?