In April 2013, the general consumer advocacy functions of Consumer Focus and the Office of Fair Trading’s responsibility for consumer-facing education will both transfer to the Citizens Advice service. This is part of an on-going series of reforms to the consumer landscape in which the Government intends for the Citizens Advice service to become the publicly-funded voice for consumers.
In order to meet these responsibilities, Citizens Advice Scotland has developed a forward work plan for 2013/14. This covers not just the issues that we plan to address, but also how we plan to work for consumers.
In the run up to April, we will be finalising our plans and putting in place the right infrastructure and support for the service to prepare for our new responsibilities. We need your input, advice, support, and expertise to get this right. We welcome any comments on our proposed work plan, both in terms of ways of working and the issues that we have identified as priorities. More than that, we welcome any suggestions on how your organisation can work with us to address issues of consumer detriment.
The consultation will run until 15th March 2013. If you have any questions regarding the consultation or the work plan, please contact Keith Dryburgh on 0131 550 1015 or at keith.dryburgh@cas.org.uk.