HC Deb 06 March 2003 vol 400 c1140W
Mr. Austin Mitchell

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals she has for investigating the extent of competition among the big-four accountancy firms. [100758]

Miss Melanie Johnson

As a result of a recommendation in the Interim Report of the Coordinating Group on Audit and Accounting Issues(CGAA), the Office of Fair Trading has looked at the competition implications of the high concentration in the market for audit and accountancy services following the demise of Andersens. They concluded that there was no case for an immediate Competition Commission referral or market referral, but that the market should be kept under review.