About the Competition and Markets Authority
What we do
We work to promote competition for the benefit of consumers, both within and outside the UK. Our aim is to make markets work well for consumers, businesses and the economy.
We acquired our powers on 1 April 2014 when we took over many of the functions of the Competition Commission (CC) and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).
Who we are
We are an independent non-ministerial department with over 500 members of staff mainly based at Victoria House, Southampton Row, London WC1with representatives in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Responsibilities
We are responsible for:
· investigating mergers which could restrict competition
· conducting market studies and investigations in markets where there may be competition and consumer problems
· investigating where there may be breaches of UK or EU prohibitions against anti-competitive agreements and abuses of dominant positions
· bringing criminal proceedings against individuals who commit the cartel offence
· enforcing consumer protection legislation to tackle practices and market conditions that make it difficult for consumers to exercise choice
· co-operating with sector regulators and encouraging them to use their competition powers
· considering regulatory references and appeals
Our responsibilities are supported by a range of powers which are based on legislation and explained in Towards the CMA, annexe B
Our goals
Our 5 strategic goals are:
· delivering effective enforcement – to deter wrongdoing, protect consumers and educate businesses
· extending competition frontiers – by using the markets regime to improve the way competition works, in particular within the regulated sectors
· refocusing consumer protection – working with its partners to promote compliance and understanding of the law, and empowering consumers to make informed choices
· achieving professional excellence – by managing every case efficiently, transparently and fairly, and ensuring all legal, economic and financial analysis is conducted to the highest international standards
· developing integrated performance – through ensuring that all staff are brought together from different professional backgrounds to form effective multi-disciplinary teams and provide a trusted competition adviser across government
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/competition-and-markets-authority/about
