Competition Commission (United Kingdom)

This article is about a competition regulator in the United Kingdom. For other similar organizations called Competition Commission, see Competition regulator.

The Competition Commission is a non-departmental public body responsible for investigating mergers, markets and other enquiries related to regulated industries under competition law in the United Kingdom. It is a competition regulator under the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (formerly the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform).

The Competition Commission replaced the Monopolies and Mergers Commission on 1 April 1999. It was created by the Competition Act of 1998, although the majority of its powers are governed by the Enterprise Act 2002.

The Enterprise Act 2002 gave the Competition Commission wider powers and greater independence than the MMC had previously, so that it now makes decisions on inquiries rather than giving recommendations to Government and is also responsible for taking appropriate actions and measures (known as remedies) following inquiries which have identified competition problems.

The Government can still intervene on mergers that involve a specified public interest criterion such as media plurality, national security and financial stability.^[1]

The role of the Competition Commission

The Competition Commission (CC) is an independent public body which conducts in-depth inquiries into mergers, markets and the regulation of the major regulated industries, ensuring healthy competition between companies in the UK for the benefit of companies, customers and the economy.

All of the CC’s inquiries are undertaken following a reference made by another authority, most often the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) (which refers merger and market inquiries), or one of the sector regulators (which can refer markets within their sectoral jurisdictions or make regulatory references in relation to price controls and other licence modifications) or as a result of an appeal from a decision of one of the sector regulators.

Mergers

Under the Enterprise Act 2002 (the Enterprise Act), the OFT can review mergers to investigate whether there is a realistic prospect that they will lead to a substantial lessening of competition (SLC), unless it obtains undertakings from the merging parties to address its concerns or the market is of insufficient importance.

In order to qualify for investigation by the OFT, a merger must meet all three of the following criteria:

1. two or more enterprises must cease to be distinct;
2. the merger must not have taken place already, or must have taken place not more than four months ago; and
3. one of the following must be true:
   • the business being taken over has a turnover in the UK of at least £70 million; or
   • the combined businesses supply (or acquire) at least 25 per cent of a particular product or service in the UK (or in a substantial part of the UK), and the merger results in an increase in the share of supply or consumption.

In exceptional cases where public interest issues are raised, the Secretary of State may also refer mergers to the CC.

Where an inquiry is referred to the CC for in-depth investigation, the CC has wide-ranging powers to remedy any competition concerns, including preventing a merger from going ahead. It can also require a company to sell off part of its business or take other steps to improve competition.

Market investigations

The Enterprise Act enables the OFT (and the sector regulators) to investigate markets and, if they are concerned that there may be competition problems, to refer those markets to the CC for in-depth investigation.

In market investigations the CC has to decide whether any feature or combination of features in a market prevents, restricts or distorts competition, thus constituting an adverse effect on competition (AEC).

If the CC concludes that this is the case, then it must seek to remedy the problems that it identifies either by introducing remedies itself or by recommending action by others.

Reviews of undertakings or orders

Undertakings or orders are the primary means by which remedies are given effect under the Enterprise Act and the Fair Trading Act 1973. The OFT has the statutory duty to keep these undertakings or orders under review and if it considers that due to a change of circumstances a set of undertakings or an order should be varied or terminated, then the OFT refers it for consideration by the CC. Responsibility for deciding on variation or termination of undertakings lies with the CC.

Regulatory references

In relation to regulatory references, the CC’s role is dictated by the relevant sector-specific legislation. Companies regulated under the gas, electricity, water and sewerage, postal services, railways or airports legislation generally have a formal instrument (a licence) setting out the terms of their operation. If a regulated company does not agree to a modification of its licence proposed by the regulator, the regulator must refer the question to the CC. The CC will consider whether any matter referred to in the reference may be expected to operate against the public interest and, if so, whether this could be remedied by modifications to the licence. These references can involve the price control applied to the company.

The CC also has roles under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and the Legal Services Act 2007.

Energy code modifications and Communications Act appeals

The CC has an appeal function following decisions by the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority to modify certain energy codes under the Energy Act 2004 and in relation to price control decisions by Ofcom, following a reference by the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) under the Communications Act 2003.

External links

• Competition Commission Official website
• http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/press_rel/index.htm [Media Centre]
• http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/press_rel/2010/index.htm [Latest News Releases]
• http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/index.htm [Latest Updates]
• http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/inquiries/current/index.htm [Current Inquiries]
• http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/inquiries/completed/index.htm [Completed Inquiries]
• http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/index.htm [Inquiry Reports]
• http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/business-law/competition-matters/market-studies/cc-market-investigation-on-the-uk-supply-of-groceries
• http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/business-law/competition-matters/market-studies/payment-protection-insurance-market-study
• http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/business-law/competition-matters/market-studies/supply-of-airport-services-in-the-uk-by-baa-market-study
• http://www.internationalcompetitionnetwork.org/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competition_regulator
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competition_law
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_competition_law

References

1. ^ Berr.gov.uk