Business Legislation
Animal Health Act 1981
Controls the Health and Welfare of farm animals by reference to records of birth, movements and deaths. Disposal of carcases. Control of disease and living conditions.
Agriculture Act 1970; Agricultural (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1968; Agriculture Product (Grading Marking) Acts 1928 and 1931
The Agriculture Acts protect purchases of fertilisers and feeding stuffs by providing detailed information on the composition of such products. Samples are taken to confirm compositional details.
Administration of Justice Act 1970
This Act prevents the unlawful harassment of debtors.
Business Names Act 1985
This Act requires all businesses trading under names other than the true names of their owners to disclose information regarding ownership to customers and suppliers.
Clean Air Act 1985
The portion of this Act enforced by the Service controls the amount of harmful substances in motor engine fuels.
Children and Young Persons (Protection from Tobacco) Act 1933 and 1991
These Acts prohibit the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to children under the age of sixteen and require the display of warning notices.
Companies Acts 1985 and 1989
The Acts include requirements that a company must display its name outside its place of business and include it in business correspondence.
Consumer Credit Act 1974
The Act introduced a positive licensing system for all those involved in the finance business including those in ancillary credit business. It regulates the form and content of advertisements, agreements, quotations and many other aspects of credit.
Consumer Protection Act 1987
The Act prohibits the supply of unsafe consumer products and prevents customers from being given misleading indications of prices of goods. It also includes provisions on product liability.
Control of Pollution Act 1974
The Act prohibits the supply of products containing specified injurious substances.
Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988
This Act prohibits the making or dealing in articles that infringe copyright.
Courts and Legal Services Act 1990
Development of Tourism Act 1969
The Act requires all establishments that, by way of trade or business, provide sleeping accommodation to prominently display a price list.
Education Reform Act 1988
The Act is designed to prevent the sale or issue of bogus degrees.
Energy Act 1976
This Act requires the fuel consumption of all new motor cars to be specified.
Energy Conservation Act 1981
The Act provides the Secretary of State with power to prohibit the supply of certain appliances without type approval mark or approved operating and maintenance instructions.
Estate Agents Act 1979
The Act makes provision for the Director General of Fair Trading to prohibit any person deemed unfit to carry on estate agency work. It also safeguards client's deposits and requires disclosure of fees and any interest in the property being sold.
European Communities Act 1972
The Act is used to translate agreed European Community Directives into UK law. Examples to date are fibre contents, machinery, personal protective equipment and package travel.
Explosives Act 1875 to 1976
These Acts controls the amount of explosives which may be kept and the conditions in which they are stored. It also controls the sale of fireworks to young persons.
Fair Trading Act 1973
This Act set up the Office of Fair Trading and deals with competition, monopolies and mergers. Part of the Act is used to ensure businesses do not trade in a manner detrimental to the interests of consumers.
Farm and Garden Chemicals Act 1967
Food and Environment Protection Act 1985
This Act enables Ministers to make emergency orders to deal with any circumstances likely to create a hazard to human health through consumption of food. Local authority officers may be authorised to take appropriate action.
Food Safety Act 1990
This Act protects purchasers from buying unfit food, food which does not meet compositional requirements and food which is labelled incorrectly or in a misleading way. Samples are taken to check all such requirements are met.
Hallmarking Act 1973
The Act introduced compositional standards, assaying, hallmarking and descriptions for articles made from or containing precious metals (gold, silver and platinum).
Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (including Sections 20,21,22,25 & 39)
This Act deals with the classification and labelling of dangerous substances.
Insurance Brokers (Registration) Act 1977
The Act allows only registered businesses to describe themselves as "Insurance Brokers". Such registered businesses have to meet prescribed standards.
Intoxicating Substances (Supply) Act 1985
This Act makes it an offence for a person to supply or offer to supply products to anyone under the age of 18 knowing or suspecting that those products are going to be abused. The law doesn't give a list of substances, so it is up to the retailer to decide.
Licensing Act 1964
The relevant parts of this Act allows test purchasing of alcohol to be made by children acting under the supervision of trading standards officers to enforce the prohibition of alcohol sales to under 18's.
Medicines Act 1968
This Act supplements the compositional requirements of the Agriculture Act when related to medicated animal feeding stuffs.
Mock Auctions Act 1961
The Act is designed to prohibit sales of goods by competitive bidding where lots are sold at less than the highest bid, or the right to bid is restricted or articles are given away or offered as gifts.
Nurses Agencies Act 1957
This Act requires that nurses agencies be inspected and licensed by local authorities.
Performing Animals (Regulation) Act 1925
This Act requires the registration of performing animals and the keeping of a register for such purposes by the local authority.
Pesticides (Fees and Enforcement) Act 1989
Poisons Act 1972
The Act requires retail sellers of minor poisons to be licensed by the local authority. These licences are issued by Durham County Council.
Prices Acts 1974 and 1975
Orders and Regulations may be made under these Acts requiring prices to be indicated on goods or services offered at retail level.
Property Misdescriptions Act 1991
This Act requires estate agents to accurately describe houses and other property they are selling.
Protection of Animals Act 1911
The Protection of Animals Act 1911 provides offences for cases where animals are caused unnecessary suffering.
Road Traffic Acts 1988 and 1991; Road Traffic (Foreign Vehicles) Act 1972; Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988; Road Traffic (Consequential Provisions) Act 1988
The Road Traffic Acts are used to prevent the use of overloaded goods vehicles on the roads and the sale of unroadworthy vehicles.
Solicitors Act 1974
An Act to restrict persons acting as a solicitor or undertaking specified functions to those who are qualified.
Telecommunications Act 1984
This Act prevents unauthorised telephone equipment being sold for connection to the national telecommunication system.
Theft Act 1968
The Act creates offences in relation to theft, especially in respect of obtaining property by deception, obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception and false accounting.
Timeshare Act 1992
This Act provides consumers who enter into timeshare agreements in the UK with a cooling off period in which they can cancel without penalty.
Trade Descriptions Act 1968
This Act requires goods and services to be properly described.
Trade Marks Act 1994
This Act prevents the use by unauthorised individuals of registered trade marks on products or in advertising material.
Trading Representations (Disabled Persons) Acts 1958 & 1972
The Acts require sellers of goods advertised as made by, or sold for the benefit or, blind or otherwise disabled persons, to be registered.
Trading Stamps Act 1964
The Act regulates the issue, use and redemption of trading stamps.
Unsolicited Goods and Services Act 1971; Unsolicited Goods and Services(Amendment) Act 1975
The Unsolicited Goods and Services Acts describe the rights and duties of consumers who receive goods that are not ordered or requested. The Acts also provide protection to businesses in respect of charges for an entry in a trade directory.
Video Recordings Act 1984
The Act introduced a system of censorship and classification for films supplied in video cassette and also required recommended viewing ages to be indicated.
Weights and Measures Act 1985
The Weights and Measures Acts provide controls on the accuracy of weighing and measuring equipment and establish systems of weight control on goods and associated labelling.
Notes
- The Acts are listed alphabetically, not in order of importance.
- Guidance on much of the legislation listed above is contained in Trader advice leaflets which may be found at http://www.northern.tradingstandards.org.uk/guidance.htm
