Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 on (a) consumers, and (b) tackling breaches of consumer law at (i) national (ii) regional and (iii) cross-boundary levels.

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 consolidated core consumer rights for goods, services and digital content into one framework, giving consumers clear remedies when things go wrong. It also consolidated enforcers’ investigatory powers and confirmed that Trading Standards can act across local authority boundaries.

No specific assessment has been made of its impact on consumers and tackling breaches of consumer law at a national, regional or cross boundary level.

However, the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade funds National Trading Standards to tackle serious regional breaches, and the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 gave the Competition and Markets Authority direct powers to enforce consumer law nationally. We are also reviewing Trading Standards duties and the wider consumer protection landscape so enforcement is effective at every level.