This Order brings into operation certain provisions of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 by appointing days for the purposes of Schedule 3 to that Act (which contains transitional and commencement provisions).
The appointed days (see article 2) are as follows:—
| Paragraph of Schedule 3 to the Act | Subject matter | Appointed day |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Consumer credit and consumer hire agreements made on and after appointed day to be regulated agreements. | 1st April 1977 |
| 19 | Section 82 (which relates to the variation of regulated agreements) to come into operation on appointed day. | 1st April 1977 |
| 12 | Section 56 (which relates to antecedent negotiations) to apply to regulated agreements where negotiations begin after appointed day. | 16th May 1977 |
| 42 | Sections 137 to 140 (which relate to extortionate credit bargains) to come into operation on appointed day and to apply to agreements and transactions whenever made. | 16th May 1977 |
| 8 | Sections 157 and 158 (which relate to credit reference agencies) to apply to requests for information received on and after appointed day. | 16th May 1977 |
| 5 | Section 21 (which requires businesses to be licensed) not to apply to any description of business before the day appointed in relation to that description of business. | 1st October 1977 in the case of all consumer credit and consumer hire businesses except those consumer credit businesses carried on by individuals (defined in the Act as including partnerships and other unincorporated bodies of persons not consisting entirely of bodies corporate) in the course of which only regulated consumer credit agreements for credit not exceeding £30 are made. |
Articles 3(1), 4 and 5 introduce consequential amendments and repeals; article 3(2) makes separate provision correcting amendments introduced by an earlier commencement order.