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A Competition Regime for Growth: A Consultation on Options for Reform

Open date: 16 Mar 2011

Closing date: 13 Jun 2011

Response date: 15 Mar 2012

Following the Government's consultation, we are proposing to create a new Competition and Markets Authority that brings the Competition Commission and the OFT’s competition functions into a single organisation and to modernise its competition toolkit. The creation of a single Authority will enable us to eliminate inefficiency and unnecessary duplication in our markets and mergers regime . It will also ensure that we have a single organisation with the right powers and flexibility to use the best processes in tackling competition problems, and one that can help business understand their competition law obligations. Resource allocation will be improved, and business will benefit from having just one, streamlined organisation that helps them to understand and comply with competition law.

In any market, effective competition is essential. Well functioning competition helps to deliver a more dynamic economy which can generate economic growth, more jobs and prosperity. A robust competition regime gives confidence to established businesses in the UK as well as to those wanting to set up here. Competition also forces firms to innovate. They have to become more efficient and find ways to offer consumers better quality and often relatively cheaper products or services.

To achieve the Government’s overarching objective, it consulted on change to:

  • improve the robustness of decisions and strengthen the regime
  • support the competition authorities in taking forward high impact cases
  • improve speed and predictability for business

In response to the consultation the Government is proposing to the create a single Competition and Markets Authority and modernise its competition toolkit to improve markets and help consumers and businesses by providing greater coherence in competition practice and a more streamlined approach to decision making. The proposed reforms will provide faster and less burdensome processes for businesses; and a single strong centre of competition expertise that can help business understand their competition law obligations and provide national and international leadership. The reforms to the competition regime will deliver:

  • One single, strong voice for competition and a one stop shop for business to help them understand and comply with competition law;
  • Better deterrence for anti-competitive practices that impact on businesses and consumers from more efficient throughput of cases; 
     
  • support the competition authorities in taking forward high impact cases competition restrictions that do most harm to competition, consumers and to economic growth, and providing the regime with the tools and flexibility to make proportionate and focussed interventions; 
  • Greater certainty for business to take investment decisions faster and clearer timeframes and more robust decisions;
  • Tackling structural problems for a market as a whole by making it easier to remedy anti-competitive mergers.
  • Easier for businesses to get the CMA to put an interim stop to anticompetitive practices whilst investigations are ongoing. These go hand in hand with proposals to empower business to tackle anti-competitive practices and seek redress on which BIS expects to consult shortly.

Download the consultation

Download the government response


 

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Help cut red tape in business services

As part of government’s Red Tape Challenge, businesses and the public are invited to identify ways that ineffective, burdensome or unnecessary regulation affects growth in the business-to-business services sector.

Have your say at the Red Tape Challenge website