The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has increased the number of funds covered by its online comparison tables and has also added an 'ethical' filter to its search facility.

The expansion means the tables now cover the whole of the UK All Companies sector, and five new fund sectors.

The five new sectors are:

• Europe excluding UK
• Balanced Managed
• UK Other Bond
• UK Corporate Bond
• Global Growth

The FSA originally launched the comparison tables last October to help people make better investment decisions.

They give information on factors like charges and redemption penalties, but do not give any information on past performance, and do not make any recommendations.

"Consumers will still need to 'look beneath the bonnet' and ask the provider or an authorised financial adviser questions such as what the fund is invested in and how risky the sector is," said the FSA's consumer director Christine Farnish.

"Consumers need to make sure they understand, and are comfortable with, the level of investment risk of the fund before parting with their money."