Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Business Regulators: Accountability

Thursday 18 May 2023 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • James Wild thanked the Minister for reforms published and inquired about considering recommendations for better accountability of regulators.
  • James Wild raised concerns about soaring formula prices and asked if the Minister would instruct the Competition and Markets Authority to intervene.
  • Alison Thewliss inquired about steps the Department is taking to improve the accountability of business regulators.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 James Wild Con North West Norfolk
Business Compliance
Context

The Regulatory Reform Group has published a report, and the Government has published 'Smarter Regulation to Grow the Economy' last week.

Question

I thank the Minister for his answer and for the reforms published last week. He kindly mentioned the Regulatory Reform Group and our report last week. Will he carefully consider our recommendations in the report on the Government better holding regulators to account, and look at the proposal for an accountability framework that looks at key metrics, including competition, to judge their performance?

Answer from Kevin Hollinrake

I read that with interest, and I spoke to my hon. Friend the Member for Hitchin and Harpenden about the matter. It is important that all regulators with responsibility for regulating and promoting growth continue to be held to account for delivering on those objectives. His proposed joint committee of Members of both Houses is for the House authorities to consider, but I note that in a regulatory system that already has a number of accountability mechanisms, adding another layer could risk more uncertainty rather than clarity.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The proposal for an additional accountability framework was not fully committed to due to concerns about added complexity.

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Q2 James Wild Con North West Norfolk
Business & Trade Benefits & Welfare
Context

Sky News has revealed soaring prices for infant formula, leading to parental distress and market concerns.

Question

Leaving the cost of formula up to the market has resulted in soaring prices. Parents are stealing formula from shops, relying on baby banks and formula foraging on Facebook, while profits and marketing spends of the companies have soared. Will the Minister instruct the Competition and Markets Authority to investigate the sector to protect our younger citizens?

Answer from Kevin Hollinrake

The CMA is an independent body that decides where it should intervene. We keep these matters under very close scrutiny. Competition is the best regulator. We have a very competitive market for the supermarkets with 14 regulated by the Groceries Code Adjudicator.

Not addressed: The specific ask to instruct CMA was not addressed; focus instead on existing regulatory mechanisms.

How: Changed Subject Entirely, Spoke About Competition And Existing Regulation

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Q3 Alison Thewliss SNP
Business Compliance
Context

The Regulatory Reform Group has published a report, and the Government has published 'Smarter Regulation to Grow the Economy' last week.

Question

What steps her Department is taking to improve the accountability of business regulators.

Answer from Kevin Hollinrake

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his fine work as part of the Regulatory Reform Group, which has just published a report. Last week the Government published 'Smarter Regulation to Grow the Economy', setting out our vision for the UK's regulation and how we can harness the opportunities that Brexit presents to re-think how and when we regulate.

Not addressed: Specific steps were not outlined, focused on publishing documents instead of concrete actions.

How: Discussed Procedure And Vision

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