Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are considering establishing a consistent national framework for assessing the performance of Trading Standards services, including indicators on enforcement activity, consumer protection outcomes, and resourcing.

Local authorities across England, Scotland and Wales are independent from central government and are responsible for determining their resourcing priorities across a wide range of enforcement responsibilities in accordance with the needs of the local electorate.

The majority of Central Government funding is not ringfenced in recognition of local authorities being best placed to understand local priorities including those relating to consumer protection.

The Department for Business and Trade provides additional funding through the National Trading Standards Board (NTSB) and Trading Standards Scotland (TSS). These act as mechanisms to prioritise and coordinate national and regional consumer enforcement in England, Wales and Scotland respectively.