Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Competition and Markets Authority's press release entitled CMA update on action to help contain cost of living pressures, published on 15 May 2023, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the Competition and Markets Authority's regulatory enforcement powers in respect of ensuring businesses respond to the authority's requests for evidence.

The Competition and Markets Authority has powers to issue civil sanctions for failures to comply with a requirement to produce information under Part 1 of the Competition Act 1998 and Parts 3 and 4 of the Enterprise Act 2002. The Government is strengthening these powers as part of the reforms in the Digital Markets Competition and Consumers Bill, including increasing the maximum penalty that can be imposed on a business.