Letter: Consumer council ruled out of disputes

Sir: Your leading article 'Rail watchdogs without bite' (13 July), on the ongoing rail dispute, states that the National Consumer Council (NCC) does not consider industrial disputes as part of its brief.

Indeed, you go as far as suggesting that this amounts to 'passivity' on our part.

However, it is not an issue of what we 'consider' to be within our remit. The role of the NCC was clearly set down in 1975 when we were set up by the then Labour government.

Our Memorandum and Articles of Association state specifically that matters relating to employment issues are outside our terms of reference.

Yours faithfully,

RUTH EVANS

Director

National Consumer Council

London, SW1

14 July