(1)In this Part “consumer” and “consumer matters” have the meaning given by this section.
(2)“Consumer” means—
(a)a person who purchases, uses or receives, in Great Britain, goods or services which are supplied in the course of a business carried on by the person supplying or seeking to supply them, or
(b)a person who purchases, uses or receives relevant postal services in Northern Ireland.
(3)“Consumer” includes both an existing consumer and a future consumer.
(4)For the purposes of subsection (2)—
(a)a person who uses services includes, in relation to relevant postal services, an addressee;
(b)“goods” includes land or an interest in land;
(c)“business” includes a profession and the activities of any government department, local or public authority or other public body.
(5)“Consumer matters” means—
(a)the interests of consumers, and
(b)any matter connected with those interests.
(1)In this Part “designated consumers” means—
(a)consumers in relation to gas conveyed through pipes or electricity conveyed by distribution systems or transmission systems, and
(b)consumers in relation to relevant postal services.
(2)The Secretary of State may, by order, amend subsection (1) so as—
(a)to make any description of consumers within subsection (3) “designated consumers” for the purposes of this Part;
(b)to provide for any description of consumers to cease to be “designated consumers” for those purposes.
(3)The consumers within this subsection are consumers in England and Wales in relation to services provided by a water undertaker, a sewerage undertaker or a licensed water supplier, in its capacity as such.
(4)Before making an order under subsection (2), the Secretary of State must consult—
(a)the Council,
(b)in the case of a relevant order, the Scottish Ministers,
(c)the Welsh Ministers, and
(d)such other persons as the Secretary of State considers appropriate.
(5)For this purpose a “relevant order” is an order which relates to any description of—
(a)consumers in relation to gas conveyed through pipes or electricity conveyed by distribution systems or transmission systems, or
(b)consumers in relation to relevant postal services.