The government has pledged £10 million to fund new measures protecting consumers from rogue traders.

Consumer minister Melanie Johnson announced that the money would be spent on projects including a £5 million drive to improve co-ordination between the 200 trading standards departments in the UK.

Other initiatives include improved training and skills for the UK's 1,500 trading standards officers and providing more information to consumers, particularly in the field of e-commerce.

The funding comes from the government's Modernisation Fund, which was launched last year to assist consumer watchdogs in cracking down on rogue traders.

The government wants to improve coordination between the 200 trading standards departments in the UK, and is also encouraging the use of "Stop Now Orders", which allow consumer protection bodies to take out court injunctions to prevent rogue traders from breaking the law, with failure to comply being punishable by a fine or imprisonment.

Also being announced at a national conference for trading standards professionals in Birmingham was an additional £2 million for Consumer Support Networks, which bring together trading standards, citizens advice bureaux and other consumer organisations. There will also be £1.5 million for scholarships to improve the training of trading standards officers, and the same amount for projects to prevent accidents in the home.

Johnson said the government was "determined" to give consumers a better deal. "And this year's £10 million of funding from the Modernisation Fund, will help consumer protection bodies to implement these initiatives, clamp down on rogue traders who cheat the public, and make a real and immediate difference to people's lives."

"Today I am announcing a new National Performance Framework to help modernise trading standards services, and the forthcoming Enterprise Bill will increase the legal powers available to trading standards, for example by extending the use of Stop Now Orders which halt rogue traders in their tracks," she added.

The National Performance Framework for Trading Standards has been developed with the Trading Standards Institute, the Local Authorities Coordinating Body on Food and Trading Standards, the Office of Fair Trading, the National Weights and Measures Laboratory and 19 pilot authorities. It is being launched at the Birmingham conference and will be implemented in 2002/03.

In a joint statement, David Sibbert of the Trading Standards Institute and Derek Allen of LACOTS, welcomed the new moves.

"This performance framework means that local services will be individually and collectively more accountable for the good work that they do. They will be more visible for the commitments they give to tackle consumer fraud and enforce the range of fair trading laws that help the wellbeing of local communities."