Treasury: Surcharge move will help consumers

Financial secretary to the Treasury Mark Hoban explains the government's thinking on the Today programme after its announcement that excessive surcharges on debit and credit card transactions will be banned:

"What's important is consumers know upfront how much they're going to pay… what we've announced today gives the transparency consumers need and means airlines and others can't whack on a huge charge at the end that comes as a huge surprise.

"We need to make sure the right processes are in place to help consumers change excessive surcharges and we need to give businesses some time to get their systems ready.

"We are bringing forward plans by at least two years… we are doing something practical to give consumers the power to really hold companies to account."