TRADING STANDARDS

That this House welcomes the publication of the Trading Standards Workforce Survey which shows that the number of trading standards staff in local authorities has been halved since 2009; values the work that trading standards officers do in their local communities to protect vulnerable elderly residents from rogue traders and scams, prevent young people from accessing age restricted products like tobacco, alcohol and knives and ensure consumers receive accurate information on what they are buying, protecting them from food fraud and unsafe goods; applauds trading standards professionals for maintaining a high level of service despite shrinking resources; further welcomes the Government's commitment to consumer protection as represented by the Consumer Rights Bill; and encourages the Government to continue working with trading standards and local authorities to find long-term solutions to the problem of constrained resources for local authority trading standards services.