Could you explain the role of the NCC and what your position entails?

Deirdre Hutton:The role of the NCC is absolutely to make sure that those who take decisions affecting consumers - including policy makers in government, parliament, industry, regulators, business and the professions - have a balanced and authoritative view of consumers' interests. To do this, we carry out research, policy analysis, lobbying and campaigning.

We also place a priority on consumer education, to help ensure that the balance is right between the power of the government and the individual. Essentially what we're trying to create in private services is a market where consumers are on an equal footing with business and government in society. I think the most vulnerable need extra empowerment, extra help, to give them the same kind of powers.

Young people, too, are faced with many consumer choices and we've just launched new resources for teachers to promote citizenship - now a statutory part of the national curriculum in England. Aimed at 11 - 16 year-olds, there's an interactive CD-ROM which focuses on the issues surrounding the use of the Internet, and Consuming Passions, a resource pack addressing consumer rights and responsibilities.

My role is basically to lead the organisation, working with our Board, to set out its vision, strategy and direction. I am also the figurehead. I go out and talk to people - whoever is in a position of power or influence - to help them understand our policies and persuade them of our case.

How would you describe the NCC?

Deirdre Hutton:We're consumer policy experts working as a catalyst to bring about change, championing the consumer interest, with a particular focus on disadvantaged consumers. We want to make sure that markets and public services work for consumers - making sure consumers are empowered so they feel able to be demanding in their selection and use of goods and services. We produce high quality research, in-depth policy analysis, and lobby to achieve significant improvements for consumers. We look to build strong alliances to make the difference for consumers.

Deirdre Hutton:We're focusing on key areas of work where we really can make the difference. We're lobbying hard to get a commitment that companies must trade fairly (in legal jargon, that companies have a general duty not to trade unfairly) and we feel this argument has really moved on.

The general duty would provide a safety net for consumers, plugging gaps in existing regulation to stop practices such as high pressure selling. A general fair trading duty would really underpin the relationship between the consumer and the trader. We're looking to Europe where this type of legislation may be introduced.

Consumers need better information. We know there's support for a one-stop-shop information service on the track records of traders - such as plumbers, car mechanics, builders, repairers and decorators. We want to get to a stage where, if I wanted a plumber, I could ring up a hotline, or look on a database, and find out about a full range of plumbers in my local area. I'd find out whether any of them have good or bad track records, for instance if they have a county court ruling against them.

A lot of this information is available but it's held in different places and many people don't know where to access it. What we're looking at is trying to create a single information source - and there's support for this from Trading Standards and The Registry Trust, which operates the register of county court judgements. And that's why we are calling on the government to take the lead and explore how best to provide such a one-stop-shop trader information service.

With over 55 million credit cards in issue, consumer credit is a major issue - and one that really affects low-income consumers. At the most basic level we want stronger protection for consumers who take out credit. We're also working hard to ensure that consumers can make comparisons between credit offers more easily and that information is straightforward to understand.

Looking further ahead, the NCC's Financial Futures project aims to project some ten years into the future or so and focus on what the outlook may be for the consumers of financial services. It aims to research how consumers' financial needs might be met by both the private and public sector.

A workshop considered the influence of a number of factors on our Financial Futures, including the ageing population, changes to the way we work, the relationships we enter into, the values we have, the way markets work and the way public policy decisions are made. By teasing out the big consumer issues of the future, and their impact on consumers' financial needs, NCC is shaping policy responses to today's challenges that are also fit for the future.

There is a whole interesting area of risk and how consumers consider risk. We have just conducted some research and it shows that the second biggest risk that people think about is linked to their long-term financial security. I think the government has been very successful in raising the temperature of this issue - so people know that it is something to worry about.

The real trick for the government however is to give people a strategy for actually doing something about it. At the moment they are worrying a lot without necessarily knowing what to do. People need good generic advice in order to manage their financial requirements - setting out what you need to do in general. It's essential that this advice is independent and readily available to all income groups.

We are continuing to look at how risk can be better managed and communicated by policy makers. Our research showed that more than nine in every ten consumers agree the government should be more open about how it tackles such problems. And more than eight in every ten agree that ordinary people should be given more of a say in the debates about risky or uncertain issues, such as poor pensions, unhealthy diets, pesticides in food, mad cow disease or GM foods.

Consumers are clear the government should take the lead in two important ways - providing honest information about uncertainties and also involving the public in reaching a decision on how best to tackle such problems. And, where possible, consumers want to be able to make up their own minds based on the facts.

We are passionate about Common Agricultural Policy reform - we have for years been arguing for the system to be updated, as it really works against the interests of consumers.

You've clearly got a very big range of issues. Do you find it better to work with government or with business?

Deirdre Hutton:It depends entirely on the issue - and the truth is, we work with both. There are many acute questions concerning public services. What the Government is doing with public services is very interesting; they seem to be ratcheting up public expectations as a mechanism for bringing about change. That is an issue where we talk to government. On the other hand, if you're dealing with issues like the way supermarkets handle organic food then we talk to supermarkets. Of course, underpinning all of this is a real understanding of consumers' concerns.

Is there anything in particular which you'd like to see in the Queen's Speech?

We think it's essential to see the consumer perspective integrated into all relevant legislation and that the consumer voice be heard throughout the progress of legislation through Parliament.

Looking at specifics, we want to see a Water Bill. This has been talked about for a while, but water is an essential service and we want to see the same level of regulation as the other utilities. We also want to see the Communications Bill give real consumer power to the new consumer panel.

Does the government pay attention to what the consumer lobby is trying to achieve?

Deirdre Hutton:Yes, I think they do. And I think that is because our work is genuinely rooted in the consumer experience. There are many ways in which we can make the consumer voice heard. For example, we organised Making Connections a consumer perspectives conference on farming and food, and earned the support of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Minister.

Our core message was that farmers must be reconnected with their consumers - a message that was central in seeing the establishment of the Curry Report - which has the potential to bring about real benefits for consumers.In the longer term, we have just undertaken a major project that examines the benefits of consumer involvement, investigates the barriers to involvement and comes up with effective solutions to make involvement work. We firmly believe that consumer involvement must become part of the everyday operation of government, public services and business.

Do you think that a long-term review into pensions, as reported in the press recently, is something you will want to be involved with?

Deirdre Hutton:Yes we definitely will be - and we have just sent our submission into the Work and Pensions Committee inquiry, The Future of UK Pensions. People on low incomes often find it impossible to plan for their pension needs - because of inadequate income, or because they are dealing with debt, for example, and policy-makers must recognise that there are some consumers who are just unable to save.

Other consumers face many risks when making savings decisions, including changes to public policy, stock market falls and bankruptcy of occupational providers. The government should recognise these risks to retirement income, and involve consumers in assessing how they should be managed.

How do you see the NCC developing over the next 12 months?

Deirdre Hutton:A major piece of work will be the establishment of a policy commission on public services to answer some of those really fundamental questions like the balance between individual rights and the rights of society as a whole. This is really one of the most pressing questions in public services.

But, more broadly, I want to see NCC continue to make the difference. I want us to continue to build effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders - from government, the voluntary sector, regulators and business - so that we can maximise the impact of our work. I am clear that the NCC will be the first place that policy-makers, providers of goods and services and the media turn to when they want to know what consumers think.

In a couple of years we will be celebrating our first thirty years. I am looking forward to celebrating our achievements and setting the scene for the future.