Asked by: Lord Tyler (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they have responded to the Competition and Market Authority's (CMA) 2019 proposal that the CMA's powers to enforce consumer protection law should be improved.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As outlined in our manifesto, the Government is committed to giving the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) enhanced powers to tackle consumer rip-offs and bad business practices.
The Department and the CMA have been working closely together to develop the proposals made by the CMA in 2019. For example, following a commitment made in June 2019 by the previous Secretary of State, we are looking into the possibility of putting the CMA’s powers on an administrative basis. This would allow the CMA to decide itself if a breach of consumer law has happened, rather than going to court.
Furthermore, we have announced that we will introduce a new power to impose fines of up to a maximum of 10% global turnover on businesses who have breached consumer law.
Asked by: Lord Tyler (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Competition and Market Authority's (CMA) recent request for emergency time-limited legislation to give the CMA powers to crack down on companies profiteering from the COVID-19 pandemic by 'price gouging'.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to tackling consumer rip-offs and bad business practices, including profiteering.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has spoken with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), business and consumer organisations and retailers to review the impact of profiteering and action taken to address it.
The Government are working with the CMA, Which?, and other organisations to monitor the extent of profiteering, and will update the law if it is proportionate to do so.
Asked by: Lord Tyler (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will publish records of external meetings held by special advisers to its ministers.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Government publishes an unprecedented amount of data; departments publish details of Ministers and Permanent Secretaries meetings' with external organisations, and Special Advisers' meetings with senior media figures. The information requested is not held centrally and there are no plans to extend current arrangements”
Asked by: Lord Tyler (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department of Energy and Climate Change will publish records of external meetings held by special advisers to its ministers.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Government publishes an unprecedented amount of data; departments publish details of Ministers and Permanent Secretaries meetings' with external organisations, and Special Advisers' meetings with senior media figures. The information requested is not held centrally and there are no plans to extend current arrangements.