Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Consumer Ombudsman regime.

The Consumer Ombudsman is run by Ombudsman Services, a not for profit private sector company. Chartered Trading Standards Institute, who act on behalf of my rt. hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, have audited and approved Ombudsman Services as being compliant with the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Regulations.

The Government is committed to an ADR landscape that works for all those who wish to use it. I meet regularly with consumer representatives and enforcement bodies to discuss a range of issues, including ADR.

A number of detailed responses to a call for evidence in June were received that related to the ADR regime. The Department is considering these responses carefully and a response will be published in due course.