Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the rent-to-own and doorstep lending industry on how they target customers.

The Government transferred the regulation of consumer credit to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in 2014 and has given the FCA strong powers to protect consumers. This was demonstrated by the FCA announcement in October 2017 that BrightHouse, a rent-to-own firm, would pay over £14.8 million in redress to 249,000 customers in respect of agreements which may not have been affordable, and payments which should have been refunded.

The Government has also given the FCA the power to cap the cost of all forms of credit, and the FCA can do so if it thinks it is necessary to protect consumers. The FCA’s review of the high-cost credit sector has identified concerns about the high costs of rent-to-own borrowing, as well as concerns about repeat borrowing and refinancing in the doorstep lending sector. The FCA has said that it will consult on proposed remedies in May 2018.

Treasury ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel.