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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of regulating the locksmith industry to protect people from rogue locksmiths operating in the UK.

Locksmiths are subject to the stringent consumer protection laws already in place against unfair trading practices in the same way as any other trader/business which has dealings with consumers.

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) sets out the standards consumers can expect when traders, including locksmiths, supply services, and the remedies if these rights are breached. Similarly, the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) protect consumers from being misled about the products or services they buy. The CPRs also outlaw behaviour which falls short of the requirements of professional diligence. The Regulations carry criminal penalties and are enforced by Trading Standards Officers.

Consumers are encouraged to use service providers that operate under a regulated trusted trader scheme. For example, the Master Locksmiths Association (MLA), has a robust licensing scheme in place to ensure approved locksmiths are appropriately vetted, inspected and qualified. This scheme is approved by the Police Crime Prevention Initiative’s ‘Secured by Design’, which sets the industry gold standard for security products and interventions to design out crime.