Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of strengthening the enforcement powers of the Groceries Code Adjudicator.

The Government’s most recent review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator, which was published in July, found that the GCA continues to be a highly effective regulator. It did not identify the need for strengthening its enforcement powers.

As Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business, I regularly meet the Adjudicator who agrees that his current powers provide the necessary tools to enforce the Code and change retailer behaviour.