Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department is taking steps to improve consumer rights protections.

The Department for Business and Trade is implementing the new consumer rights introduced by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. The new consumer enforcement regime – which we will commence in April – gives the CMA new direct enforcement powers and introduces monetary penalties of up to 10% of global turnover for businesses that exploit their customers. The Act also updates consumers protections from unfair commercial practices and introduces new rights in relation to subscription traps and prepayments to savings schemes.

Furthermore, amid a concerning feedback from consumers struggling to access tickets for popular events, the government has launched a public consultation on a range of measures in the ticket resale market that aim to better protect consumers and support the growth of the UK’s live events sector.