§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to introduce(a) direct and (b) rapid remedies for victims of anti-competitive practices; and if she will make a statement. [52229]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonImproving the opportunities for victims of anti-competitive practices to gain redress is a key theme of the Enterprise Bill (introduced to the House of Commons on 26 March 2002).
The Bill will enable those harmed by anti-competitive practices to follow a decision establishing a breach of competition law with a claim for damages before a specialist competition body—the Competition Appeal Tribunal. The tribunal offers the advantages of being a quicker and more streamlined route for consumers and businesses to obtain redress from companies that have broken the law. In addition, representative bodies will he able to bring claims for damages in front of the tribunal on behalf of groups of named consumers, thus helping consumers obtain redress where a large number of parties have each suffered a relatively small level of harm.
The Government are also providing a faster and fairer route to an independent review of a decision under the Competition Act by allowing third parties to appeal direct to the Competition Appeal Tribunals instead of first having to ask the Director General or one of the sector regulators to withdraw or alter his decision.