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• Vote: Consumer Affairs

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• 2002-2005
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• Output Class - Policy Advice and Support on Consumer Issues
• Output Class - Enforcement and Conformance

Output Class - Policy Advice and Support on Consumer Issues

This output class provides for policy advice and information on issues, policies and programmes affecting or potentially affecting the ability of consumers to transact with confidence. The following outputs are included in this output class for 2004/2005.

Consumer Policy

This output provides for policy advice on issues concerning an effective legal and regulatory framework for business/consumer transactions, the promotion of improved market practices and effective redress, and international consumer policy developments.

Consumer Research, Information and Capability Building

This output provides for:

• reviews of the effectiveness of consumer policy through systematic monitoring and evaluation;
• research on consumer and business interactions;
• information and education to consumers, community agencies and businesses with respect to their legal rights and obligations and access to remedies and redress;
• the promotion of effective consumer representation within institutions and agencies dealing with issues that affect consumers; and
• capability building to enable communities and community organisations to identify and address consumer issues.

Promotion and Monitoring of the Motor Vehicle Sales Act 2003 (MVSA)

This output provides for the promotion, education, and effectiveness of the MVSA.

Service Performance

Policy advice will be delivered as agreed with the Minister and as detailed in the Ministry of Economic Development Output Plan.

Generic quantity, quality and timeliness performance measures for all policy advice, Ministerial services and briefings supplied by the Ministry of Economic Development are detailed in Quality Standards for Policy Advice and Ministerial Servicing.

Costs: Output Class - Policy Advice and Support on Consumer Issues

Output Class - Enforcement and Conformance

This output class provides for the promotion and enforcement of a supportive measurement and product safety infrastructure for businesses and consumers, particularly through the administration of the Weights and Measures Act 1987 and the product safety provisions of the Fair Trading Act 1986.

Service Performance

Where appropriate, comparative figures for the previous year are shown in parentheses.

National Trade Measurement System

This output provides for the management of New Zealand's trade measurement environment to meet international standards in relation to goods sold by weight, measure or number, which encompasses

• calibrating and verifying standards to ensure traceability;
• auditing private sector verifiers to ensure trade equipment is verified correctly;
• conducting type approval examinations of new weighing and measuring instruments to ensure they do not facilitate fraud;
• ensuring trader compliance with legislative requirements through effective enforcement; and
• representing New Zealand's interests in intergovernmental organisations dealing with legal metrology, including the International Organisation of Legal Metrology and the Asia Pacific Legal Metrology Forum.

Quantity

Surveillance visits will be made to 400 traders to check the correctness of weighing and measuring equipment and pre-packaged goods.

Participate in the development of 10 recommendations/documents by the International Organisation of Legal Metrology (OIML).

Quality

Maintain a "type approvals" regime that ensures measuring instruments do not facilitate fraud by complying with ISO 17025 accreditation and OIML recommendations.

Generic quality performance measures for policy advice, ministerial services and briefings as detailed in the Ministry of Economic Development's Quality Standards for Policy Advice and Ministerial Servicing will apply to preparation of draft recommendations for the OIML.

Timeliness

Timeframes set by the OIML for reply on each circulated draft recommendation and document will be met in all cases.

Product Safety

This output provides for providing product safety services, which encompasses

• building and maintaining of national and international product safety networks, for example, through attendance at the joint Australian/New Zealand Consumer Product Advisory Committee;
• developing and reviewing relevant voluntary and mandatory standards, and product safety policies;
• educating and informing consumers and business about product safety;
• investigating and resolving product safety complaints;
• administering the product safety provisions of the Fair Trading Act 1986; and
• representing the consumer perspective by participating in interdepartmental activities dealing with injury prevention, including the Government Interagency Steering Group on NZ Injury Prevention Strategy.

Quantity

Surveillance visits will be made to 300 traders/suppliers to check product safety.

Quality

All investigations of product safety complaints will be carried out in accordance with the Measurement and Product Safety Service Complaints and Procedures Manual and will be reviewed by a team leader/ manager audit.

Timeliness

95% of complaints are acknowledged within seven working days of receipt of notification.

Costs: Output Class - Enforcement and Conformance

¹⁹For comparative purposes the 2003/2004 reflects the new output class structure for this Vote established from 2004/2005. For a reconciliation between the old and new output class structures please refer to the 2004 Estimates of Appropriation, Part G for Vote Consumer Affairs.

²⁰For comparative purposes 2003/2004 reflects the new output class structure for this Vote established from 2004/2005. For a reconciliation between the old and new output class structures please refer to the 2004 Estimates of Appropriation, Part G for Vote Consumer Affairs.