Mark raised a number of consumer rights issues in a recent House of Commons debate on consumer affairs which he led.

The debate was a backbench members' ('Westminster Hall') debate and Mark used the opportunity to highlight a number of constituency cases which in his view also have wider policy implications.

He focused on three areas:

•    The problems experienced by people who have bought new homes from developers, where the buyers have had great difficulty in obtaining satisfaction in dealing with a whole range of problems ranging from snagging issues* to property management.

•    Examples of holidaymakers who have found that companies have been able to avoid liability under the ABTA rules.

•    Problems with bogus 'look alike' websites

Mark referred to specific examples and also called for a range of action by government in response to those problems which he believes are widespread.
A common theme in Mark's speech was the way in which consumers can be misled as to the company with which they are actually dealing.

It is not unusal for consumers to be under the impression that they have purchased a house or a holiday from a company only to find that when something goes wrong, the contract turns out to be with a subsidiary. What is worse, the subsidiary might go into administration with the parent company refusing to accept any responsibility.

Another loophole is that the original company might be a member of a trade association like ABTA that offers insurance whereas the subsidiary is not.

The problem is not so much that there is no legislation to protect the consumer in these areas but that it is complex and can be difficult and costly for individuals to pursue a case against a powerful company.

In the area of look alike websites the Office of Fair Trading has acted recently to close down sites offering debt advice which purport to be government sites. In the case of problems with new homes and holidays, Mark suggested that there was a need for a body which could act as a voice for consumers in individual cases.

There has been a lot of criticism of MPs allowances recently, much of it justified; but this kind of debate illustrates the vital work that MPs do away from the public eye, acting as a voice for  constituents in Parliament and bringing pressure to bear on Government.

To read Mark's speech in full, click here.