Consumer Rights Bill (HL Bill 29 of 2014–15)

The Consumer Rights Bill makes provision for the reform of consumer law in the UK. The aim of the Bill is to reduce complexity and ambiguity in UK law and bring consumer law up to date with modern digital means of transaction. The Bill would establish a series of basic rights for consumers to a minimum quality of goods and services, and seeks to establish which contract terms can and cannot be challenged in the courts on grounds of fairness. There are also provisions in the Bill intended to consolidate the powers of consumer law enforcers and to enable small companies and consumers to pursue, through the Competition Appeal Tribunal, private actions under contract law against companies. This Note summarises the Bill’s report stage and third reading in the House of Commons.