Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 2:00 pm on 4 July 2023.
Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Clause 228 protects consumers against inertia selling, which occurs when traders send unsolicited products to consumers and then demand payment for the products or that the products be returned or safely stored. The clause provides clarity for consumers and traders, leaving no room for doubt. Consumers are exempt from any obligation to pay for the unrequested products, return them or store them safely. The lack of a response by a consumer to a trader does not mean that the consumer has agreed to pay for, return or store the product.
Seema Malhotra
Shadow Minister (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy)
The Minister has laid out the reasons for this Clause, which we very much support. It is important to support consumers against inertia selling, and it is a real worry when we hear of cases where traders demand an immediate or deferred payment for the return or even the safekeeping of products that have been supplied but not solicited by the consumer. It is important that we clarify that consumers are not required to pay for products supplied unsolicited by the trader, so we support the clause.
A parliamentary bill is divided into sections called clauses.
Printed in the margin next to each clause is a brief explanatory `side-note' giving details of what the effect of the clause will be.
During the committee stage of a bill, MPs examine these clauses in detail and may introduce new clauses of their own or table amendments to the existing clauses.
When a bill becomes an Act of Parliament, clauses become known as sections.
A parliamentary bill is divided into sections called clauses.
Printed in the margin next to each clause is a brief explanatory `side-note' giving details of what the effect of the clause will be.
During the committee stage of a bill, MPs examine these clauses in detail and may introduce new clauses of their own or table amendments to the existing clauses.
When a bill becomes an Act of Parliament, clauses become known as sections.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
