European Union - Third Report
Here you can browse the report which was ordered by the House of Lords to be printed 11 December 2007.
CONTENTS
Terms of Reference
FOREWORD—what this Report is about
Chapter 1: Setting the Scene
How we conducted the Inquiry
Chapter 2: Historical Progress: the Timeshare Market, the UK and the EU
The timeshare industry in Europe
Box 1: What is "timeshare"?
Complaints and consumer satisfaction
Flaws in the 1994 Timeshare Directive
Chapter 3: Holiday Clubs and their Growth
Box 2: What is a "Holiday Club"?
The Holiday Club "Web"
Chapter 4: Regulatory Issues
The Timeshare Directive and the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive
The review of the consumer acquis
Common Frame of Reference
The right type of legislation?
Conclusions and Recommendations
Chapter 5: Justification for Regulation
Timeshare and self-regulation
Scope for strengthening timeshare self-regulation
Holiday clubs and self-regulation
The EU dimension
Conclusions and Recommendations
Chapter 6: The right of withdrawal and the cooling-off period
Charges where the consumer cancels
Harmonisation of withdrawal rights
Cooling-off period
Definition of a "day" in relation to the length of the cooling off period
Informing consumers of the cooling-off period
Conclusions and Recommendations
Chapter 7: Advance Payments during the Withdrawal Period
Conclusion and Recommendation
Chapter 8: Resale and Exchange
Definition of resale
Cooling-off period for resale contracts
Proposed ban on advance fees for resale
Exchange schemes
Exchange schemes: cooling-off period and ban on advance payments
Fees paid by consumers for exchange services
Conclusions and Recommendation
Chapter 9: Provision of Information to the Consumer
What the Commission proposes
Language requirement (Article 3.4)
Long-term costs of ownership
Flexible timeshare points clubs
Conclusions and Recommendations
Chapter 10: Raising Public Awareness
Conclusions and Recommendations
Chapter 11: Enforcement and Sanctions
Experience to date and international co-operation arrangements
Injunctions Directive
Sanctions
A licensing scheme
Conclusions and Recommendations
Chapter 12: Redress
Judicial and administrative redress
Out-of-court redress
Conclusions and Recommendations
Chapter 13: Other Issues
Extension of scope to non-fixed properties
Extension of scope to shorter timeshares
Definitions
Multi-annual hotel reservations
Timeshare owners' rights
Termination and transfer of ownership
Review clause
Conclusions and Recommendations
Chapter 14: Summary of Conclusions and Recommendations
Justification for Regulation
The Right of Withdrawal and the Cooling-Off Period
Advance payments during the withdrawal period
Resale and exchange
Provision of information to the consumer
Raising public awareness
Enforcement and Sanctions
Redress
Other Issues
Appendix 1: Sub-Committee G (Social Policy and Consumer Affairs)
Appendix 2: Call for Evidence
Appendix 3: List of Witnesses
Appendix 4: Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations
Appendix 5: Recent Reports
Oral and Written Evidences to follow
List of Oral Evidence
Thursday 12 July 2007
Thursday 19 July 2007
Thursday 26 July 2007
Thursday 18 October 2007
Thursday 25 October 2007
Written Evidence
Oral Evidence
| The Timeshare Consumers Association
|
| Written Evidence | | 1
|
| Oral Evidence, 12 July 2007 |
| 3 |
| Supplementary Written Evidence |
| 12 |
| Organisation for Timeshare in Europe
|
| Written Evidence | | 13
|
| Oral Evidence, 19 July 2007 |
| 16 |
| Supplementary Written Evidence |
| 24 |
| Office of Fair Trading |
| Written Evidence | | 30
|
| Oral Evidence, 26 July 2007 |
| 32 |
| Supplementary Written Evidence |
| 43 |
| Mr Gareth Thomas, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Consumer Affairs, and the Consumer and Competition Policy Directorate
|
| Oral Evidence, 18 October 2007 |
| 44 |
| Supplementary Written Evidence (Department for Business,
| | |
| Enterprise & Regulatory Reform) |
| 51 |
| Professor Geraint Howells, University of Lancaster, and Dr Christian Twigg-Flesner, University of Hull
|
| Written Evidence | | 54
|
| Oral Evidence, 25 October 2007 |
| 59 |
| Supplementary Written Evidence |
| 69 |
| Written Evidence | |
|
| Citizens Advice | | 72
|
| Citizens Advice (Supplementary) |
| 76 |
| Group RCI | | 78
|
| Andy Harris | | 81
|
| Interval International | |
83 |
| Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services and
| | |
| Trading Standards Institute |
| 87 |
| MEPs | | 92
|
| Angus Murray | | 94
|
| Tony Sedgwick | | 96
|
| Shakespeare Classic Line Ltd |
| 100 |
| The Association of Timeshare Owners Committees
| | 101 |
| Timeshare Computer Link Ltd |
| 106 |
NOTE: References in the text of the Report are as follows:
(Q) refers to a question in the oral evidence
(p) refers to a page of written evidence
| 
