Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the use of mandatory mediation in the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

The Government supports the use, where appropriate, of mediation as a means to resolve regulatory disputes. However, the decision on whether to use mediation, and whether it is appropriate in a particular case, is primarily a matter for the parties in any dispute.

Further, the Competition Appeal Tribunal is an independent specialist tribunal with significant expertise in the hearing and deciding of cases involving competition or economic regulatory issues. Any decisions or directions in relation to case management or party conduct are an independent judicial matter considered on a case-by-case basis.