UK citizens may soon be able to access their credit references online:

Improve consumers’ access to and understanding of their credit reference files. The Government wants to ensure all consumers have access to the right tools to help them better understand their credit reference files, protect themselves against identity fraud and, if necessary, take legitimate steps to improve their credit rating. Currently, consumers have a statutory right to write to any credit reference agency and request a paper copy of their credit reference file for a £2 fee. We will work with industry to look at improving people’s access to (and understanding of) their file, including whether files can be made available online under the existing statutory scheme.

Several actions are to be taken from the Consumer Law Review carried out by BERR (Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) in 2008. These range from the sensible:

Developing rules on new “digital” products to ensure the core principles of consumer protection apply

to the vague:

Reforming consumer law and simplifying weights and measures legislation without diluting consumer protection

Those renting will be pleased to hear that:

We will introduce new legislation at the next opportunity to fill a gap in legal protection for private tenants whose landlords are repossessed. This will ensure that those tenants receive adequate notice to vacate the property, regardless of whether their tenancy has been authorised by the landlord’s lender.

quite why the opportunity hasn’t presented itself already is yet to be explained, especially as Scotland has only just announced its plans for home owner policy changes.

In between the vacuous promises there were very few details of any changes which have actually been agreed, yet the terminology used seems to suggest that HMG are heading in the right direction.

The full announcement can be found on www.bis.gov.uk.