Competition

This page highlights some of the current parliamentary material available on competition, monopolies and mergers. This includes select committee reports, briefing papers on current legislation and other subjects produced by the parliamentary research services, and the latest Early Day Motions put down by MPs.

Standard Notes

Date	Description
01.03.2013	Supermarkets : The Groceries Code Adjudicator
	The Coalition Government is committed to establishing a new ombudsman within the Office of Fair Trading, to enforce the code of practice between the major supermarkets and their suppliers. In May 2011 the Government published a draft Bill to create the Groceries Code Adjudicator; a final Bill was introduced on 10 May 2012 as one of the first Bills of the 2012/13 Session. This note discusses the background to this proposal.
12.02.2013	A minimum price for alcohol?
	In public debate the term 'minimum pricing' has been used generically to refer to two different policies. The first is to set a minimum price per unit of alcohol. The second is to ban the sale of alcohol below cost price.
08.10.2012	The UK competition regime
	This note gives an introduction to the purpose of competition law, and a summary of the institutional arrangements in this country for enforcing it.
01.10.2012	Takeovers : the 'public interest test'
	The Enterprise Act 2002 effected a major reform of the merger regime - including a new competition test for assessing mergers & takeovers, to be used in most cases. This replaced a broader public interest test, which some have argued should be reintroduced, to prevent foreign takeovers from damaging national interests. This note discusses the 2002 reform, and the recent debate.
02.08.2012	Supermarkets : competition inquiries into the groceries market
	This note looks at long-running concerns about the dominance of the four major supermarkets in the UK groceries market - and the two inquiries undertaken by the competition authorities in the last decade.

Research Papers

Date	Description
10.01.2013	Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill [HL] : Committee Stage Report
	This Bill creates the office of the Groceries Code Adjudicator, whose role is to enforce and oversee the Groceries Code - a code of practice that regulates the relationship between large retailers and their suppliers
03.10.2012	Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill: Committee Stage Report
	This is a report on the Public Bill Committee Stage of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill. It is designed to complement the Research Paper Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill (RP 12/33), which covers in more detail the background to the Bill
14.08.2012	Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill [HL]
	The Bill creates a new office - the Groceries Code Adjudicator - to enforce and oversee the Groceries Code - a code of practice that regulates the relationship between large retailers and their suppliers.
07.06.2012	Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill
	The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill introduces reforms in a number of areas.
02.03.2010	Grocery Market Ombudsman Bill [Bill 18 of 2009-10]
	The Bill would establish an independent ombudsman for the grocery market to oversee the operation of the Groceries Supply Code of Practice. It would provide for the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), within three months of the Bill's enactment, to establish the Office of the Grocery Market Ombudsman and a person as the Grocery Market Ombudsman. Although funded by the OFT, the Ombudsman would be independent of it and would investigate complaints or disputes referred by the OFT, retailers or suppliers. The Ombudsman's determination would be final and binding on all parties and they would have the power to impose monetary penalties and/or costs.

Select Committee Reports

Date	Description
30.03.2010	Market Failure?
	Communities and Local Government Select Committee report [Commons]
23.03.2010	Pub companies: follow-up.
	Government response. Business Innovation and Skills Select Committee report [Commons]
12.10.2009	Market failure?: can the traditional market survive? Government response to the Communities and Local...
	Government response. Communities and Local Government report [Commons]
07.07.2009	Market failure?: can the traditional market survive? Communities and Local Government Select Committee...
	Communities and Local Government Select Committee report [Commons]
23.06.2009	Pub companies.
	Business and Enterprise Select Committee report [Commons]

Early Day Motions

Date	Description
21.10.2010	PROVISION OF CONSUMER CREDIT REGULATION AND ADVICE
	That this House recognises the high levels of personal debt accrued within British society, the restricted access to affordable credit for those on low incomes or with poor credit ratings ...
18.10.2010	CONSUMER CREDIT
	That this House expresses concern at the amount of literature sent by post by consumer credit companies advertising loans and credit cards; notes that often such literature suggests ...
13.09.2010	MOBILE NUMBER PORTABILITY
	That this House notes the recent changes to the UK's mobile number portability system which Ofcom has introduced; is concerned that the UK remains the only country in Europe where consumers ...
24.06.2010	MOBILE TERMINATION RATES
	That this House recognises that mobile termination rates charged between telephone operators are some of the highest in Europe; notes that this cost is passed directly to consumers; ...
23.06.2010	COMPETITION IN THE MOBILE TELEPHONE INDUSTRY
	That this House supports proposals for a significant reduction in mobile termination rates (MTRs); is concerned that an artificial floor on the cost of mobile telephone calls distorts ...

Lords Library Notes

Date	Description
09.11.2012	Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill (HL Bill 45 of 2012-13)
	The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill includes measures for changes to competition policy, to employment law, and for reducing regulation, as well as provisions on the Green Investment Bank, directors' remuneration, copyright and planning. This Library Note provides background reading in advance of the Bill's second reading in the House of Lords.