Competition Lawyers

Privately funded healthcare competition investigation

First published by Author on August 09, 2019 in the following categories: Industry Investigations and tagged with cma | competition law | healthcare | investigations

The privately funded healthcare competition investigation was initiated by the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) last month.

At this stage, it’s only an initial investigation, and as the CMA often confirm, there are no assumptions to be made at this moment in time. What we do know is that a decision as to whether the investigation will continue or not is set to be made in the next couple of months.

As more and more services are outsourced to the private sector in relation to healthcare, this could be a significant investigation.

Barchester consumer protection case

First published by Author on August 01, 2019 in the following categories: Care Homes Pricing and tagged with care home | cma | investigations | pricing

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is taking action in the Barchester consumer protection case under the pretence that consumer laws may have been broken.

The wider action surrounding care homes in the UK has been going on for over two years now, and we recently reported about the court action launched against Care UK.

Now, the CMA has sent a letter before action to Barchester Healthcare Limited, Barchester Healthcare Homes Limited, Grove Limited and Barchester Holdco (Jersey) Limited; known altogether as ‘Barchester’. It’s alleged that certain fees that have been charged contravene consumer protection laws.

Supply of precast concrete drainage investigation update

First published by Author on July 25, 2019 in the following categories: Cartels Industry Investigations Latest and tagged with cartels | cma | competition law | investigations

Here’s the latest in the investigation into the suspected cartel arrangements in the supply of precast concrete drainage sector.

The investigation being conducted by the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) was launched way back in 2016. Since then, a number of steps have been taken, and admissions of participating in cartel behaviour have been made at the end of 2018.

The final penalty amounts have yet to be concluded and issued, but based on the most recent update from the CMA, we expect to be seeing more updates soon.

Online platforms and digital advertising market study launched

First published by Author on July 18, 2019 in the following categories: Advertising Investigations and tagged with advertising | cma | competition law | market study

This month, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has confirmed that a market study has been launched into online platforms and digital advertising.

The CMA has cited their duty to protect consumers in what is a huge and growing digital economy. They want to ensure there’s healthy competition, and ensure that big players in the market are not abusing their powers for their own advantage.

Invitations for comment have been issued with a deadline for responses set for the end of this month.

Viagogo court case steps up

The ongoing Viagogo court case between the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the secondary ticketing website is about to step up.

The CMA are reportedly moving ahead with contempt of court proceedings on the basis that they say Viagogo is still failing to adhere to a court order obtained earlier this year.

This is huge news, and it’s alarming to hear that the CMA considers that the ticketing resellers are still failing to comply with a court order. Following a market sector review, a number of firms changed their behaviours, but it appears that Viagogo isn’t fully complying.

CMA anti-virus software investigation latest

First published by Author on July 04, 2019 in the following categories: Industry Pricing and tagged with cma | competition law | investigations | market study | pricing

The CMA anti-virus software investigation was launched back in December 2018, and the consumer regulator has been looking into whether renewal practices are legally compliant.

This investigation was a part of the wider loyalty penalty super complaint. With both personal and business reliance on anti-virus software prevalent, this is a huge market sector where there’s a need to ensure that consumer law is always being adhered to.

In the most recent update, the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) has provided a little more insight into what they’re focusing on as part of their market review.

Investment consultants investigation concludes

First published by Author on June 20, 2019 in the following categories: Industry Investigations and tagged with advertising | cma | incentives | investigations

investigation into retail banking competition

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has issued a final order in the investment consultants investigation that’s been ongoing since 2017.

The final step in the reforms that the CMA has been pushing forward has been put in place with the aim or improving the sector on the whole. Clearer information is now to be provided for customers who can enjoy better knowledge about the value for money they can get. There are also greater incentives for pension scheme trustees to shop around for better deals.

The aim, of course, is to ensure that consumers can get best value for their money. The order made is legally-binding, and is designed to ensure that pension trustees make better decisions for the retirement assets they manage.

Office design and fit-out cartel leads to director disqualifications

The CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) has secured the disqualification of a number of directors in the aftermath of the fines issued in the office design and fit-out cartel investigation.

In April 2019, fines in the sum of £7m were issued to a number of companies who had been found guilty of breaking vital competition laws. For over a decade, the guilty companies had been engaging in cover bidding, where they were able to artificially inflate the prices of at least 14 contracts. This kind of behaviour can also reduce the quality of services on offer for the consumer as well.

Now, the CMA has taken further action by securing disqualifications for a number of directors who were involved in the cartel activity.

Groundworks supplier investigation: the latest

First published by Author on June 06, 2019 in the following categories: Cartels Industry Price Fixing Price Hikes Pricing and tagged with cartels | cma | investigations | price fixing | pricing

There’s an ongoing groundworks supplier investigation being conducted by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), so here’s the latest.

The investigation surrounds suspicions of anti-competitive behaviour in the sector for the supply of groundworks products to the construction industry. The CMA’s investigation is looking into whether any of the key suppliers in the market are breaching important competition laws. If they are found to be acting unethically, they could face substantial fines.

The investigation has been going on for some time now, and a great deal of evidence has been collected and reviewed so far.

Provisional finding in the pharmaceuticals competition investigation

There has been a provisional finding in the pharmaceuticals competition investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) who have been looking into companies for quite some time.

It has been alleged that anti-competitive agreements are in place between four firms in the sector, and the calculated costs to the NHS is terrifying. If the provisional finding is formalised, huge fines could be issued to the alleged offenders involved in the investigation.

The costs of anti-competitive arrangements in the pharmaceutical industry often fall on the NHS, and therefore on the taxpayer, which is why these kinds of investigations are incredibly important.