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Power to the people

05 September 2013 / Peter Stevens
Issue: 7574 / Categories: Features
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Peter Stevens outlines the proposals to enhance collective redress mechanisms

The Consumer Rights Bill is a major piece of legislation, consolidating and updating swathes of consumer protection legislation in the UK. When the Bill was published on 12 June 2013, most of it came as little surprise, as it has already been extensively trailed in consultation papers and draft clauses. However, tucked away at the end, s 82 reads quite simply, “Schedule 7 (private actions in competition law) has effect”.

This is nothing to do with the Consumer Rights Directive, which the rest of the Bill is designed to implement, but has been on a separate agenda for some time. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) published recommendations in this area in November 2007 and the European Commission’s Green Paper in November 2008 canvassed opinions on a number of options for harmonising the collective redress mechanisms across the EU. The UK government launched its own consultation paper in April 2012 and, in January 2013, announced its intention to legislate. Meanwhile, the European Commission’s draft directive

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

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Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
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From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Writing in NLJ this week, Thomas Rothwell and Kavish Shah of Falcon Chambers unpack the surprise inclusion of a ban on upwards-only rent reviews in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
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