Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007

Other functions of [F1the consumer advocacy bodies]U.K.

17 Reports by [F2 the GCCNI] U.K.

(1)[F3 The GCCNI] may prepare a report in relation to any matter falling within the scope of its functions [F4 under this Act. ]

(2)[F5 The GCCNI] may publish any report prepared under this section.

18 Secretary of State's power to require reportsU.K.

(1) The Secretary of State may direct [F6the GCCNI] to prepare, and submit to the Secretary of State within a specified period, a report in respect of any matter specified in the direction which relates to consumer matters [F7 which relate to postal services in Northern Ireland ].

(2)The Secretary of State may publish any report submitted under this section.

19 Advice, information and guidanceU.K.

(1)[F8The GCCNI] may issue advice or guidance to any person with a view to improving standards of service and promoting best practice in connection with the handling of complaints made by consumers or any other matter affecting the interests of consumers.

(2)[F9 The GCCNI] may publish advice or information about consumer matters if it appears to [F10the GCCNI] that its publication would promote the interests of consumers.

(3) For this purpose “ information about consumer matters ” includes information about the views of consumers on consumer matters.

[F1119AGuidance for energy consumersU.K.

(1)[F12A consumer advocacy body] must prepare, and keep under review—

(a)guidance for energy consumers (the “energy consumer guidance”), and

(b)a summary prepared in accordance with subsection (4) (the “concise guidance”).

(2)The energy consumer guidance must address the matters included in any document published by the European Commission pursuant to Article 3(16) of the Electricity Directive or Article 3(12) of the Gas Directive [F13which is in force immediately before IP completion day].

(3)The energy consumer guidance may include any other information relating to the rights of energy consumers which [F14the consumer advocacy body in question] thinks appropriate.

(4)The concise guidance must—

(a)summarise any information in the energy consumer guidance which [F15in the view of the consumer advocacy body in question] is particularly relevant to the interests of energy consumers, and

(b)state where a copy of the energy consumer guidance can be obtained.

(5)In preparing and reviewing [F16its energy consumer guidance and its concise guidance] [F17a consumer advocacy body] must consult—

(a)the Secretary of State,

(b)the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority, and

(c)any other person [F18the consumer advocacy body in question] considers appropriate.

[F19(6)A consumer advocacy body must publish the first version of its energy consumer guidance and its concise guidance on its website.]

(7)If, following a review, [F20a consumer advocacy body] considers it necessary to amend [F21its energy consumer guidance and its concise guidance], [F22the consumer advocacy body] must, as soon as is reasonably practicable—

(a)publish the amended version on its website, and

(b)inform any person it consulted in accordance with subsection (5) that it has done so.

(8)[F23A consumer advocacy body] may also make the first and any amended version of [F24its energy consumer guidance and its concise guidance] available in any other manner [F25the consumer advocacy body] thinks appropriate for the purpose of bringing that guidance to the attention of those likely to be interested.

[F26(8A)Until a consumer advocacy body has published the first version of its energy consumer guidance and its concise guidance, it must—

(a)publish on its website, and

(b)make available in any other manner that it thinks appropriate for the purpose of bringing them to the attention of those likely to be interested,

the last version of the energy consumer guidance and the concise guidance to be published by the National Consumer Council under this section (as it had effect immediately before the amendments made to this Act by the Public Bodies (Abolition of the National Consumer Council and Transfer of the Office of Fair Trading’s Functions in relation to Estate Agents etc ) Order 2014 ( S.I. 2014/…) came into force.

(8B)Nothing in this section prevents a consumer advocacy body from publishing its energy consumer guidance or its concise summary in a document that includes the energy consumer guidance or, as the case may be, the concise summary of another consumer advocacy body.

(8C) In this section, a reference to a consumer advocacy body does not include a reference to [F27Citizens Advice Scotland or] the GCCNI].

(9)In this section—

• “the Electricity Directive” means Directive 2009/72/ EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity and repealing Directive 2003/54/ EC ;

• “energy consumer” means an individual who is—

  (a)

  a consumer in relation to gas supplied by an authorised supplier for consumption by the consumer’s own household;

  (b)

  a consumer in relation to electricity supplied by an authorised supplier for consumption by the consumer’s own household;

• [F28“the Gas Directive” means Directive 2009/73/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas and repealing Directive 2003/55/EC( ), as amended by the 2019 Amending Directive;]

• [F29“the 2019 Amending Directive” means Directive (EU) 2019/692 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 amending Directive 2009/73/EC concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas.]]

F30 20 Duty to enter into co-operation arrangementsU.K.

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F31 20A Duty to enter into co-operation arrangements about Scottish WaterU.K.

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F32 21 Power to co-operate and give assistanceU.K.

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F32 22 Voluntary activitiesU.K.

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F32 23 Supplementary powers etc U.K.

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