Clause 47 - Power of OFT to require access to premises
Consumer Credit Bill
12:00 pm
Gerry Sutcliffe (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs), Department of Trade and Industry; Bradford South, Labour)
Sometimes notes are intended to be helpful, but not always. I am grateful for the acceptance of the hon. Member for Wealden that the clause is necessary to allow the OFT to carry out its functions in the way that we would all expect.
The reasonableness test applies to any other such licensing procedure, in the sense that it should be proportionate and reasonable. The OFT has to be effective in getting the required result and it has the discretion within the concordats that operate. Premises that are dwellings will come under clause 48, as the hon. Member for Wealden said—I now understand the nod that I was given. Dwellings fall under the warrant aspect of that clause, which we will discuss later. The OFT will be directed to maximise its opportunities to get the required results within the concordats.