Mr. Jeremy Godfrey:

In our response to the consultation, we supported the idea that there might be ad hocdesignation, as the Deputy said, for a specific group of consumers who are particularly interested in one issue.

Such a group could, for example, slide into an association of aggrieved burger buyers. It is important then that the Bill does not facilitate a compensation culture and vexatious litigation. A question was asked earlier about the impact on insurance costs. There must be a balance to make sure cases are taken when there is a genuine grievance rather than on a speculative basis. Subject to this, there may be cases in which an association formed for the purposes of a narrow issue that did not meet all of the criteria for a general purpose qualified entity might be designated. We would not be opposed to that.