Debt on our Doorstep lodges FOIA request with DTI
3rd February 2005

Debt on our Doorstep today lodged a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 with the Department of Trade & Industry. The request centres on the DTI's research into the operation of interest rate controls in Europe and the U.S, the findings of which are currently being used to resist the introduction of interest rate ceilings in the U.K

The move comes less than 24 hours after Professor Udo Reifner, a leading international commentator on consumer protection, slammed the DTI research at a meeting with M.P's in Westminster. Speaking at the event, Professor Reifner repeated that the DTI's findings in respect to Germany "were just not true", and he expressed astonishment that national statistics, readily available at the time of the research had been deliberately ignored by the UK Government.

Of particular concern was the response of DTI officials at the event who appeared to be misinformed that the statistics on the borrowing patterns of German households were not broken down by income group. Professor Reifner provided a chart of the required statistical information in his presentation and expressed dismay that the DTI was unaware of its availability. Had they been taken into account, and numerous other inaccuracies and ommissions rectified, the conclusions would have been radically different insisted Reifner.

Debt on our Doorstep believes that the findings of the DTI research are now seriously questionable and should not be relied upon as a basis for UK policy making.

Debt on our Doorstep has therefore taken the step of requesting all of the background papers, minutes and working reports concerning the research in order to examine how such a major plank of the Government's Consumer Credit Review could have gone so wrong. Under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the DTI has 20 days in which to respond.