§ 17. Mr. DismoreTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on progress with the Office of Fair Trading report into restrictive practice in the professions. [25564]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonAs stated in the pre-Budget report, published on 27 November 2001, the Government intend to remove schedule 4 to the Competition Act 1998, which provides a special regime for the exclusion of professional rules from competition law, in the forthcoming Enterprise Bill.
The professions are conducting reviews of their own in light of the OFT report and some bodies have already announced positive changes as a result. On the remaining matters for Government from the report, the Lord 417W Chancellor's Department is considering what further steps might be needed in respect of the market for legal services to ensure that competition issues are fully addressed.