Trading standards - FOI questions for Las
What is the name of the Local Authority your Trading Standards Service covers?
If you operate as a combined service, please enter the names of all the Local Authorities that fall within your service.
Section 1 – Resources
What was the total budget for your local authority Trading Standards Service for the 2023-24 financial year (1st April 2023- 31st March 2024)?
What was the total budget for your local authority Trading Standards Service for the 2022-23 financial year (1st April 2022- 31st March 2023)?
What was the total budget for your local authority Trading Standards Service for the 2021-22 financial year (1st April 2021- 31st March 2022)?
In the 2023-24 financial year (1st April 2023- 31st March 2024), what proportion of your Trading Standards Service’s funding came from the following sources?
If you do not have the exact figure, please provide an approximation
Source
% of funding (please sum to 100%)
Central government local authority funding
Other central government or regulator funding for specific functions
Devolved government funding Regional funding
National Trading Standards or Trading Standards Scotland funding
Primary Authority Partnership funding
Other, please specify
How many full time equivalent staff, including contractors, work in your service? Please enter a numerical value next to each category.
Staff type
Permanent full time
Contractors Part time
Professionally qualified staff undertaking Trading Standards work (this includes staff holding DCATS, CTSP, DTS or equivalent qualification).
Other professionally qualified staff undertaking Trading Standards work e.g. Environmental Health Officers
Other staff undertaking Trading Standards work e.g. apprentices
Administrative/support staff.
For which of the following do you have Trading Standards officers with specialist competencies in the area?
Specialist competency
Yes/No
Unfair commercial practices
Consumer Rights Act breaches
Prices and pricing practices
Motor trade
Travel and holiday industry
Renewable energy and home improvements
Doorstep crime, including rogue trading
Product safety
Intellectual Property
Metrology / weights and measures
Age-restricted sales
Food standards
Animal feed
Animal health and welfare
E-crime - this includes email scams, phishing, fake websites or copycat websites
Consumer Advice
Other (please specify)
Do you share any of the following services with Trading Standards departments in other local authorities? If so, who do you share with?
Area
Shared? Y/N
Who with?
Fair trading
Product safety
Intellectual Property
Metrology / weights and measures
Age-restricted Sales
Food Standards
Animal feed
Animal health and welfare
E-crime - this includes email scams,
phishing, fake websites or copycat websites
Consumer advice
Other (please specify)
Section 2 - Demand and prioritisation
How many referrals and notifications did you receive to your services in the April 2023- March 2024 financial year in the following categories?
Category
Referrals
Notifications
Overall
Doorstep crime - this includes all rogue trading that takes place at the consumer's home
Scams - this includes mail fraud, telephone scams, and any other outright criminal activity that takes place from a distance (but excludes online fraud)
E-crime - this includes email scams, phishing, fake websites or copycat websites
Food Standards
Motor vehicle sales
Motor vehicle repairs
Travel and holiday industry
Renewable energy and home improvements
Illegal tobacco & alcohol
Offensive weapons sales
Vapes
Property – including lettings and estate agents
Fair trading - including pricing, terms and conditions and descriptions of goods
Animal health
Product safety
Other
How many of the referrals received in the financial year 2023-24 did you take forward /investigate?
If you do not formally collect this information, please provide an estimate
Category
Number of referrals investigated
Overall
Doorstep crime - this includes all rogue trading that takes place at the consumer's home
Scams - this includes mail fraud, telephone scams, and any other outright criminal activity that takes place from a distance (but excludes online fraud)
E-crime - this includes email scams, phishing, fake websites or copycat websites
Food standards
Motor vehicle sales
Motor vehicle repairs
Travel and holiday industry
Renewable energy and home improvements
Illegal tobacco & alcohol
Offensive weapons sales
Vapes
Property – including lettings and estate agents
Fair trading - including pricing, terms and conditions and descriptions of goods
Animal health
Product safety
Other
Of those referrals that you did not take forward, how often have the following been reasons why?
Reason Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never
We did not have the staff hours required
We did not have the relevant specialist skills
The referrals did not merit investigation
The referrals did not fall into our priority areas
Other, please specify
Approximately what proportion of your investigations pertain to the online activities of a business?
1. 0-10%
2. 10-20%
3. 20-30%
4. 30-40%
5. 40-50%
6. More than 50%
What are the top three priority issues for your service?
Can you set out any aspects of your remit that you have had to de-prioritise over the past five years?
Section 3 - Enforcement activities/outcomes
In the 2023-24 financial year (1st April 2023- 31st March 2024)...
1. How many routine (i.e. not responding directly to a complaint) inspections on businesses did you carry out?
2. How many seizures of unsafe/non-compliant products did you make?
3. How many hours of advice did you provide for businesses on their obligations under consumer law (excluding Primary Authority advice)?
4. How many hours of advice did you provide for businesses for which your service holds a Primary Authority relationship?
5. How many voluntary undertakings did you secure from businesses?
6. How many test purchases did you carry out?
7. How many cautions did you issue?
How many enforcement orders and formal warning notices did you serve in the following categories in the 2023-24 financial year?
Category Formal warning notices
Enforcement orders
Overall
Food standards
Motor vehicles (sales & repairs)
Home improvements
Travel and holiday industry
Illegal tobacco & alcohol
Property – including lettings and estate
agents
Fair trading - including pricing, terms and conditions and descriptions of goods
Product safety
Other
How many criminal prosecutions and civil enforcement actions did you bring forward in the 2023-24 financial year?
Category Criminal Civil
Overall
Doorstep crime - this includes all rogue trading that takes place at the consumer's home
Scams - this includes mail fraud, telephone scams, and any other outright criminal activity that takes place from a distance (but excludes online fraud)
E-crime - this includes email scams, phishing, fake websites or copycat websites
Food standards
Motor vehicles (sales & repairs)
Illegal tobacco & alcohol
Offensive weapons sales
Property – including lettings and estate agents
Fair trading - including pricing, terms and conditions and descriptions of goods
Animal Health
Product safety
Please could you provide a copy of your latest enforcement policy?
Please enter any other comments or additional information that you feel is relevant.