November 2018
Price: £95 PLUS VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
This seminar will discuss next steps for consumer protection in the UK - focusing on the future legal framework for consumer protection in light of measures to modernise consumer markets and bringing out latest thinking on what might be done to improve the enforcement process.
The conference will bring together businesses, legal experts, consumer groups and enforcement agencies with policymakers to assess the feasibility and next steps for key measures in the Government’s green paper on modernising consumer markets, which proposes giving civil courts powers to impose financial penalties on companies who breach consumer law, enhance alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes and improve the enforcement of consumer rights, as well as the launch of the Office for Product Safety and Standards' strategy to protect businesses and consumers from unsafe products.
Delegates will assess how the consumer protection framework might best ensure consumers are adequately protected whilst ensuring that businesses and markets remain competitive.
They will also share latest thinking on reducing the overall number of disputes and the cost and time of mediation - particularly in key areas such as ticketing, retail, utilities, rail, property, telecoms and hospitality - as well as looking at the proposed reforms to the Ombudsman Services.
Attendees will also discuss the future for enforcement in relation to changing consumer habits and markets - such as the growth of e-commerce, the gig economy and big data - and options to strengthen the accountability of businesses and coordination between enforcement agencies at local and national level.
Following the Government’s analysis of the effectiveness of ADR in resolving consumer disputes, further sessions will consider what more might be done to develop the quality and efficiency of ADR and support greater consumer awareness and business engagement in the sector - looking in part at the future role that ADR can play in supporting businesses to improve their consumer outcomes.
