Press Release

FLA FIGHTS ON THE BEACHES!

18 September 2006

Delegates attending the Liberal Democrat conference in Brighton this morning packed into a fringe meeting jointly hosted by FLA (Finance & Leasing Association) and Citizens Advice. They heard from the Shadow DTI Secretary of State, Ed Davey MP, FLA Director General, Martin Hall, and Citizens Advice Director of Policy, Teresa Perchard. Lorely Burt MP, until recently a member of the Treasury Select Committee, joined the meeting later on.

Under the topic heading “Over-indebtedness: How do we get Britain out of the red?” there was general agreement that whilst a significant proportion of consumers struggled to meet their financial commitments, most managed their personal finances well and borrowed sensibly. Amongst the suggestions mooted were improved sharing of data, including current account data; better financial advice; and financial education in schools, for which the Government was praised in its efforts to incorporate personal finance into the national curriculum. In common with the other speakers, Ed Davey, looked forward to the long-awaited DTI consultation to enable lenders to share historic data.

In a separate event on the Sunday evening (17 September) FLA joined forces in a “drop-in” event with APACS, the Building Societies Association and Equifax under a theme of “Looking out for the consumer: what financial institutions are doing for you.” FLA’s key messages were the important protections offered by the Lending Code when a consumer deals with an FLA member and their work on fraud. Delegates were treated to a demonstration of a UV lamp verification of a driving licence, reflecting FLA member funding of UV lamps for all their motor dealers.