Member

I turn to Amendments 64 and 65 and the concerns they reflect regarding enforcement authorities’ resources. As we recognised at Second Reading, enforcement authorities, particularly local authority trading standards, do crucial work with sometimes limited resources. Existing complex legislation can drain trading standards’ resources. The Government intend to consolidate and simplify where possible, giving enforcement authorities more time for enforcement. The provision of civil monetary penalties will also give trading standards more efficient penalties for certain offences, as well as easing pressure on the courts. Furthermore, Clause 8 enables the implementation of cost recovery powers for enforcement authorities.