All Party Parliamentary Group for Consumer Affairs and Trading Standards (APPG-CATS)

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Consumer Affairs and Trading Standards exists in order to:

Promote the charter of consumer rights

Consider consumer legislation and related matters

Help the recipients of goods and services and promote the delivery of high quality customer services and to

Liaise with other All-Party Parliamentary Groups

The Group is an officially registered all party group in Parliament and was established in 1996. The meetings are supported by the Trading Standards Institute which acts as the Secretariat.

The APPG-CATS has six main aims:

To increase the awareness and raise the level of debate in both Houses of Parliament and Government on issues concerning consumer affairs and the trading standards profession.

To encourage members of the APPG-CATS to become advocates on issues that affect consumers and the trading standards profession.

To inform MPs and Peers of the key issues affecting consumers and the trading standards profession and encourage them to raise issues during relevant parliamentary sessions.

To foster dialogue between the Group and key stakeholders in the fields of consumer affairs and trading standards.

To encourage stakeholders (both individuals and organisations) to support and attend relevant APPG-CATS meetings.

To endeavour to collaborate with other All-Party Parliamentary Groups on issues of mutual interest.

The APPG-CATS is composed of twenty qualifying members, representing the three main political parties. Austin Mitchell MP chairs the Group, alongside the vice-chairs Lord Borrie and Baroness Wilcox. The Secretary is Stephen Lloyd MP.

Members of the All Party Parliamentary Group

Non-members are welcome to attend Group meetings by invitation or on request. For further information about the Group, its members or its meetings, please contact Paul Allen, Executive Secretary of the APPG-CATS on appgcats@tsi.org.uk

Minutes of the Group's meetings:

Review of Activities 2009 (PDF 214KB)

Consumers' rights of redress over unfair commercial practices

2009-10-29 (PDF 88KB)

Action for consumers: the case for and against collective redress

2009-06-09 (PDF 99KB)

Fairness needed for insurance contracts

2009-05-09 (PDF 72KB)

Safety of UK consumers in global markets

2007-10-15 (PDF)

Debt: the social consequences

Consumer credit: at what price?