§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on progress with the OFT report on the legal profession. [8662]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonIn the budget debate on 8 March 2001, my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Trade and Industry announced the Government's response to the OFT report, "Competition in Professions", published on 7 March 2001.
The Government agreed with the recommendation that Schedule 4 to the Competition Act 1998 should be repealed and that the professions should be fully subject to competition law. The Government also announced that they would consult on those areas of the report that fell to them to take forward.
The Government remain committed to ensuring that the professions are properly subject to competition.