Retail Markets Alliance submission to Communities & Local
Government Select Committee inquiry into Traditional Retail Markets
Report published Thursday, July 23rd 2009. More info
Note: The Communities and Local Government Committee has announced that it will publish its
Ninth Report of Session 2008–09, Market Failure?: Can the traditional
market survive? on Thursday 23 July 2009 at 00.01 am. The committee says the Report will be posted on the internet at approximately 11.00 am on Thursday 23 July, and will be accessible via the Committee’s webpages:
To download a pdf file of the submission click here
To see oral evidence on Parliamentlive.tv click here
To view the committee's web forum click here (deadline for submissions has gone)
Government report on Street Trading and Pedlary in Great Britain
The Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR) has published an independent research report on street trading and certified pedlary in Great Britain.
While the report, conducted by Durham University, found no evidence
that pedlars pose a problem on a national scale, it suggested that
current laws regulating street trading and pedlary could potentially be
improved by:
* National guidance on the
meaning and application of the current arrangements, which contain
ambiguities and vary across Great Britain;
* Modernising the Pedlars Act, e.g. updating and standardising the
pedlars' certificate to enable easier identification of genuine
certificates; and
* A more flexible enforcement regime, including less burdensome options to criminal prosecution (e.g. fixed penalty notices).
Welcoming the report, Consumer Affairs Minister Gareth Thomas said:
"I commissioned this research in order to gain a fuller understanding
of the current situation and whether there is a case for change.
"My Department will now begin work towards a full public consultation
on national guidance and options for possible legislative change to
ensure we're striking the right balance between the interests of
business, consumers and pedlars."
