Part of Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 6:00 pm on 17 April 2007.
Susan Kramer
Shadow Secretary of State for Trade & Industry, Trade & Industry, Shadow Secretary of State, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Trade and Industry)
6:00,
17 April 2007
I appreciate the robust definitions that the Minister has given of people who should perhaps fall within this vulnerable category, and who could look for support and help from the National Consumer Council. I will give way by withdrawing the Amendment, but in terms of the underlying sentiment the Minister should be aware of some of the difficulties around the language.
I will give an example; I have a constituent with a severe speech impediment, and when he attempts to contact me on the phone, it is a long and difficult process to understand what he is telling me. I am sure that he would be considered “vulnerable” in the eyes of this definition. If we were to look into his face and tell him that he was vulnerable, he would be utterly insulted. He would regard himself as disadvantaged by society, but would not see himself as falling into that category of helplessness that one calls “vulnerable”. That is a point frequently missed in the kinds of language and definitions that we use, so I feel strongly that it would be wise to look at this again.
However, I fully accept what the Minister says—that this is in a process in motion, as it were, and that change will come over a period of time. He has provided some extensive reassurances that the use of “vulnerable” is not an attempt to narrow but to broaden. I therefore beg leave to withdraw the amendment.
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