Trading Standards Enforcement Policy (From 1st April 2008)
This Enforcement Policy explains our approach to regulatory activity, how we expect to deal with businesses and what happens when we find infringements of Trading Standards law. For enforcement to be fair it is important that we are open and clear about the basis on which we take action.
How we focus our service
Hampshire County Council is committed to maintaining fair trading for all businesses and to protecting the public, particularly those who may be especially vulnerable. The Trading Standards Service covers the following areas of law:
Animal Health and Welfare (on agricultural premises)
Consumer Credit eg misleading and incomplete advertisements
Environmental Safety eg packaging, explosives and petroleum
Fair Trading eg false descriptions and misleading prices
Food quality, composition and labelling
Product Safety and Under-age sales
Weights and Measures
We always strive to use advice as the main method of ensuring that businesses comply with legal requirements. We will inspect business premises, test products, and make test purchases where appropriate; give talks to consumer and business groups, and publish a range of leaflets.
When we receive an enquiry we aim to respond within 3 working days to phone messages, and 5 working days to letters, e-mails etc. Complex matters may take longer and we will give a full reply or progress report within 15 working days. For full details of our service standards see Factsheet 5, ' How we respond', available from our Information Centres or website:
We believe that prevention is better than cure. The Service operates a 'Buy With Confidence' scheme that is intended to raise standards of fair trading by approving local businesses and recommending them to consumers. Please contact our Advice Service for further information. (See contact details at the end of this policy) or log on to www.buywithconfidence.info.
How we structure our regulatory activities
This enforcement policy helps to promote efficient and effective approaches to regulatory inspection and enforcement, which improve regulatory outcomes without imposing unnecessary burdens. This is in accordance with the Regulators' Compliance Code.
In certain instances we may conclude that a provision in the Code is either not relevant or is outweighed by another provision. We will ensure that any decision to depart from the Code will be properly reasoned, based on material evidence and documented.
In planning and carrying out our activities we always have regard to the principles in Regulators' Compliance Code. It should be noted that our officers may need to move outside the principles of the Code where individual operational circumstances necessitate them doing so.
We also subscribe to the Enforcement Concordat where the legislation we enforce is not covered by the Regulators Compliance Code. For businesses, our regulatory activities are focussed upon allowing and encouraging the economic progress. As part of that we will:
Keep our regulatory activities and interventions under review to reduce their burden on businesses, especially smaller ones, as much as possible
Risk assess our regulatory activities so as to target our resources where they will have greatest effect
Carry out inspections only where there is a reason for doing so, for example, as a response to intelligence or as part of our risk assessment process
Provide advice when it is requested by businesses, and to do so proactively where this is practicable
Develop 'home authority' and/or 'primary authority' relationships with businesses based within Hampshire to provide advice and support
Only require data and information from businesses when it is strictly necessary for us in carrying out our regulatory activities
Consult with businesses in designing, reviewing and improving our risk methodology.
What you can expect of our staff
You are entitled to expect our staff:
To be courteous and helpful
To identify themselves by name and produce identification if requested
To provide a contact point for any further dealings
To give clear and simple advice
To confirm advice in writing on request, explaining why action is required and over what time-scale
To clearly distinguish between what you must do to comply with the law and what is recommended as best practice
To minimise the cost of compliance by requiring proportionate action
To give you reasonable time to comply (unless immediate action is necessary in the interest of Health, Safety or to prevent evidence being lost)
To notify you if the matter is to be reported for legal proceedings
In cases of dispute to advise you of the procedure for making a complaint or representations
To maintain confidentiality except where we have a legal obligation to disclose information.
Action we take if the law is contravened
When we find a breach of the law, in the majority of cases we deal with the matter by advice. However, there will always be more serious cases which can only be effectively dealt with in a more formal manner.
Dependant upon the provisions of the particular legislation, we are able to take a variety of actions, including:
Verbal or written warnings
Fixed Penalty Notices and Penalty Notices for Disorder
Indirect action, including referral to another authority for action or, in the case of sales of alcohol to underage persons, to the Licensing Authority.
Suspension, seizure or voluntary surrender of goods
Improvement Notices
Simple Cautions
·njunction - Enforcement Order
Prosecution and/or forfeiture of goods
Where immediate enforcement action is necessary an explanation will be given at the time and confirmed in writing, usually within 5 working days, and always within 10 working days.
Before any enforcement action is taken there will usually be opportunity for businesses to discuss the case. However, when we are considering a prosecution this will be at a formal interview. Where the circumstances would normally justify prosecution but there has been a clear admission of the offence, we will consider offering the offender an option of signing a Simple Caution. This is an alternative to prosecution which can be referred to in court should the business re-offend.
We will always observe the strict legal Codes on the way investigations are to be conducted and legal action taken.
Some of the above actions provide for appeal and review processes before or following their imposition. When this is the case the affected business will receive full written details of their rights. Where English is not the first language of the representative of the business, we may be able to provide translations of our documents.
In some instances we share an enforcement role with other agencies eg environmental health departments for food matters; police for under-age sales of alcohol etc. and in such situations we will share information on our activities with our partner organisations.
Taking Legal Action
To ensure any action we take is proportionate and targeted only at cases in which action is needed, a number of factors will be taken into consideration, including:-
The seriousness of any alleged offence
The value involved
The age and vulnerability of consumers affected
The previous history of the business
Any statutory defence available
Action taken to prevent any recurrence
Any explanation offered and, as far as the law allows, the circumstances and attitude of the business towards compliance and the investigators.
What course of action will best serve the community interest
Prosecution is always likely in cases which involve:
serious offences affecting the health, safety or morality of the public,
serious offences relating to animal health and welfare,
serious offences involving fraud
continued or gross negligence,
obstruction or wilful non-compliance,
deceptive or misleading claims or actions,
breaking statutory prohibitions,
breaking court orders,
where national policies indicates such course of action, or
where the community interest is detrimentally affected to a significant extent.
The decision to prosecute is taken by a senior manager:
in accordance with all relevant statutory requirements and Codes, e.g. the Code for Crown Prosecutors
in accordance with all other best practice guides, and
without any unnecessary delay
Good Enforcement Practice
As with many other regulators, Hampshire County Council has a responsibility to comply with the Regulators' Compliance Code. In addition Hampshire County Council has signed the Government's Enforcement Concordat (copy available on request or visit the BERR web site) to show its commitment to good enforcement practices, in those areas of activity to which the Concordat applies.
We endeavour to serve the people of Hampshire by working with the business community to ensure fair and safe trading and a thriving economy. We take particular care to help small businesses and, voluntary and community organisations meet legal obligations with minimal expense.
All our staff are bound by this policy to ensure we take a consistent approach to our work.
In carrying out our work, we are accountable to the members of Hampshire County Council who are democratically elected to represent the people of Hampshire.
If you have any comments on this Enforcement Policy or would like further information then please contact us.
Telephone: 01962 833620
Email: rsadvice@hants.gov.uk
Website: http://www.hants.gov.uk/regulatory/
This policy is available in large print and alternative languages on request.