Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to encourage enforcement action by the Competition and Markets Authority on consumer protection.

The Competition and Markets Authority's decision-making is independent of government. Each parliament the government issues a Strategic Steer to the CMA setting out its priorities. Earlier this year the government encouraged the CMA to use its range of tools, including consumer enforcement, “to grow the economy through promoting consumer trust and confidence, while deterring poor corporate practices.”

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, which we brought into force in April of this year, strengthened consumer law enforcement by giving the CMA new administrative powers, and empowering the CMA and courts to impose significant monetary penalties of up to 10% of turnover.