Clause 53 - FURTHER PROVISION RELATING TO CIVIL PENALTIES
Consumer Credit Bill
10:45 am
Mr Laurence Robertson (Shadow Minister, Economic Affairs; Tewkesbury, Conservative)
I am grateful to the Minister for that helpful introduction, and I would appreciate a more detailed explanation of how things work. I am a little concerned that the Bill is not as clear as it could be, but I am straying into discussion of an amendment that I did not table.
The amendments that I have tabled would require the OFT to clarify the right of appeal. The rather uncertain discussion between the Minister and me suggests that that is not entirely clear. I ask the Committee to require the OFT to notify a person of his right of appeal against the imposition of a civil penalty. The OFT is already required, rightly, to give details about a penalty that it is minded to impose, and it is not unreasonable to ask it to set out the right of appeal. It follows naturally from what is already in the Bill.