Consumer Focus Scotland

The new organisation will be based in Glasgow. Douglas Sinclair is the Chair of the Board and Martyn Evans has recently been appointed as the Director.

Building on the work of the predecessor bodies, Consumer Focus Scotland will be a stronger, more effective advocacy body, able to address consumer issues across the broad range of public services and private markets in Scotland. It will be a devolved part of the UK-wide Consumer Focus and play into all aspects of the consumer interest in the UK.

Consumer Focus will continue to be an effective and active partner in delivering a range of projects that are funded directly by the Scottish Government. These projects are all aimed at improving information and access to services for Scotland's consumers. They include the healthyliving award, Health Rights Information Scotland, Community Food and Health Scotland and the Scottish Accessible Information Forum.

The new organisation will have a clear remit with regard to the interests of vulnerable consumers and in particular in the energy and post sectors. Consumer Focus Scotland will be managing a dedicated GB wide specialist consumer advocacy and representation service – the 'extra help unit' – for vulnerable energy and post consumers. These consumers will be identified and fast-tracked to the Extra Help Unit by Consumer Direct, which will be the first stop on a simplified complaints journey for all consumers with energy or post problems.

These arrangements form part of a new statutory framework that will introduce a clear set of actions to threaten poor performing energy and post suppliers. The emphasis will be on companies getting it 'right first time' for their customers and there will be a clear onus on them to deal quickly and effectively with their own customer complaints.

The regulators will set new market wide compulsory complaints handling standards for companies, audit these standards and will have new powers to hold them to account for meeting these standards. Underpinning this will be new, mandatory independent approved redress schemes in energy and post. If the company does not resolve a matter of complaint then it can be resolved by the independent redress body.

The independent redress organizations will have the powers to force suppliers to resolve individual service failures. We are convinced that the focus on energy and post suppliers raising their game is the correct one and we are confident that Consumer Focus Scotland will adopt a robust approach to representing the interests of vulnerable consumers who need help urgently.

Consumer Focus is currently consulting on its Forward Work Programme, with a finalised document to be in place by October. We will, of course, keep you up to date with Consumer Focus Scotland's activities as they progress. In the meantime, if we can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Douglas Sinclair
Martyn Evans

Telephone 0141 226 5261