Delivery Surcharges (Transparency for Consumers) Bill (HC Bill 19)
A
BILL
TO
Require online retailers to declare to consumers at the start of the retail
process the existence of surcharges for delivery to certain addresses in the UK;
and for connected purposes.
Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and
consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present
Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
1 Requirement to declare variable charges
(1)
The Secretary of State shall, within one year of this Act coming into force, make
regulations to require online retailers (“the retailer”) to make a declaration to
consumers if their freight, delivery, postal or other charges (“charges”) vary
5according to the delivery address within the United Kingdom.
(2)
Regulations under this section shall require a declaration made under
subsection (1) to include a clear statement of—
(a) which charges may be varied according to delivery address,
(b)
to which locations within the United Kingdom delivery will result in
10variations to charges, and
(c)
a reasonable indication of the total cost or costs to the consumer of such
variations in charges.
(3)
Regulations under this section shall make provision requiring a declaration
under subsection (1) to be—
(a) 15clear and comprehensible,
(b) made in a prominent place on the retailer’s website, and
(c)
available to the consumer before they browse the goods and services
available to them on the retailer’s website.
(4)
Regulations under this section shall include provision for their enforcement by
20one or more enforcement authorities and for penalties in the case of non-
compliance.
(5) Regulations under this section shall be made by statutory instrument.
Delivery Surcharges (Transparency for Consumers) BillPage 2
(6)
The Secretary of State shall not make a statutory instrument under this section
unless a draft of the instrument has been laid before, and approved by a
resolution of, each House of Parliament.
2 Commencement and short title
(1) 5This Act shall come into force on Royal Assent.
(2)
This Act may be referred to as the Delivery Surcharges (Transparency for
Consumers) Act 2013.