■Directive on Injunctions for the Protection of Con-
sumers’ Interests, implemented by the Stop Now
Orders (EC Directives) Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/
1422), and subsequently superseded by Part 8 of the
Enterprise Act 2002.
■Directive on Sale of Consumer Goods and Associ-
ated Guarantees, implemented by the Sale and Supply
of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002 (SI 2002/
3045).
■Directive on Unfair Commercial Practices (UCP) 2005,
implemented by the Consumer Protection from
Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/1277).
In March 2007 the European Commission set out its
six-year strategy for consumer policy. The Consumer
Strategy Policy 2007–2013 sets out the following
objectives:
1 to empower EU citizens who need ‘real choices,
accurate information, market transparency and the
confidence that comes from effective protection and
solid rights’;
2 to enhance EU consumers’ welfare in terms of price,
choice, quality, diversity, affordability and safety;
3 to protect consumers from the serious risks and
threats that they cannot tackle as individuals.
The interests of UK consumers in relation to EU
policy are represented by the European Consumer Con-
sultative Group (ECCG).
Central government institutions
Department for Business, Enterprise &
Regulatory Reform (formerly the Department
of Trade and Industry (DTI))
The Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory
Reform (BERR) is responsible for developing policy and
promoting legislation in the fields of trading standards,
fair trading, weights and measures, shops legislation, con-
sumer credit and consumer safety. It also has functions
in relation to competition policy, i.e. monopolies, mergers
and restrictive practices. In addition, BERR has res-
ponsibility for a number of agencies, e.g. Office of Fair
Trading, Competition Commission, British Hallmark-
ing Council, Hearing Aid Council, National Consumer
Council, utility regulators such as OFWAT and OFTEL,
and it sponsors the British Standards Institute.
In 1998 BERR’s predecessor department, the DTI,
published a White Paper on consumer matters: Modern
Markets: Confident Consumers. The government’s new
agenda for consumers included the following key aims:■to promote open and competitive markets;
■to provide people with the skills, knowledge and
information they need to become knowledgeable and
demanding consumers;
■to encourage responsible businesses to adopt good
practice;
■to reduce the burden of unnecessary regulation;
■to protect the public from rogue traders and unsafe
goods.The Home Office
The Home Office is responsible for supervision of the
control of explosives, firearms, dangerous drugs and
poisons. Responsibility for liquor licensing has been
transferred to the Department for Culture, Media and
Sport.The Department of Health
The Department of Health and the former Ministry
of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food were both partly
responsible for matters of food hygiene and safety and
used to share responsibility for the enforcement of the
Food Safety Act 1990 and the Medicines Act 1968. Food
issues are now the responsibility of the Food Stand-
ards Agency. The Department of Health offers medical
advice on contamination of consumer goods and is
involved in the control of drugs.The Department for Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
DEFRA has taken over the responsibilities of the
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF).
One of DEFRA’s objectives is ‘to promote a sustainable,
competitive and safe food supply chain which meets
consumers’ requirements’.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport
This department has taken over responsibility from the
Home Office for liquor licensing.The Office of Fair Trading (OFT)
The Office of the Director General of Fair Trading
(DGFT) was established in 1973 under the terms of the
Fair Trading Act 1973. The organisation, known as the
OFT, was the administrative support which developed to
enable the DGFT to carry out his statutory responsibilities.Part 3Business transactions