Clause 40 - Supplementary provision relating to requirements
Consumer Credit Bill
11:45 am
Gerry Sutcliffe (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs), Department of Trade and Industry; Bradford South, Labour)
To assist the Committee, the clause sets out details relating to the OFT’s power to impose requirements on licensees, and supervisory bodies which hold a group licence. It provides that a notice imposing a requirement can specify when that requirement should be complied with. This may be a deadline, or a period during which it is in force. A requirement no longer applies when the licence it is related to expires.
Subsection (3) states that no compensation, or other redress, will be required. That is not the function of requirements, which are to ensure that a licence holder’s conduct is satisfactory to the OFT. Compensation, or making amends to individuals, should be pursued through the courts or the alternative dispute resolution mechanism.
Subsections (4) to (7) relate to powers to vary or revoke requirements. The OFT may vary or revoke a requirement on its own motion. Affected persons are also able to apply to the OFT to vary or revoke a requirement. These affected persons are the licensee, or any person who is referred to by name in the requirement. The clause ensures that the power for OFT to impose requirements is an effective tool.