Author Archives: HM Government

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has today published an update paper on its market study into digital comparison tools (DCTs).

DCTs enable consumers to compare products and services on quality as well as price, and help them switch between suppliers. These range from price comparison websites to smartphone apps.

The paper unveils a comprehensive consumer survey into DCTs. This shows that overall DCT users think these tools work well, making it easier to make informed choices and save money. Although DCTs are still a relatively new way of purchasing, the survey indicates that consumers are generally confident in the way they use them, and many use more than one site. The majority consider that individual DCTs do not feature all of the suppliers in each market.

DCTs have become an important way for many people to buy services such as insurance and utilities. For example the CMA’s survey showed that in the past year 84% of people looking for car insurance used a comparison site, 67% looking for energy, and 52% for broadband.

The survey found that only 11% of recent users believed that sites covered all suppliers, and that almost two-thirds (64%) of people using a DCT visited more than one site. Many consumers appear to use DCTs for research, with 44% of those who didn’t buy directly through a DCT saying that they used the information they had gathered from a DCT to help them negotiate a better deal with a provider.

Users explain they use DCTs to find a good deal, save time, and research available options, and more than 9 out of 10 say they are satisfied with the service they receive.

The CMA’s update, however, identifies 4 areas of possible concern, which will form the focus for the second phase of the market study.

These are:

• whether sites could be more transparent – for instance in their market coverage and business models, and in their treatment of personal data
• whether the benefits that DCTs can offer could be further improved if suppliers made more information available
• certain practices and contractual arrangements that could limit healthy competition between DCTs
• the way DCTs are regulated

The CMA is seeking further views on these as it continues the study.

Andrea Coscelli, CMA Acting Chief Executive, said:

Our work so far suggests that digital tools like price comparison websites generally work well for consumers, who really value the service they provide. However, our report suggests that improvements may be necessary to help more people get even better deals.

Among the areas we wish to consider further are what can be done to increase confidence among consumers and how to improve competition, regulation and transparency in the sector. We are now seeking further views on these issues as part of our wide-ranging market study.

The final report will be published by 28 September 2017.

Market studies may lead to a range of outcomes including giving a market a clean bill of health; taking action to improve the quality and accessibility of information to consumers; encouraging businesses to self-regulate; making recommendations to the government to change regulations or public policy, and taking competition or consumer law enforcement action. They can also lead to a reference for a more in-depth market investigation – which the CMA is ruling out in this case as the remaining options are sufficient to remedy any issues that may be found.

Please send comments by 24 April, by email to comparisontools@cma.gsi.gov.uk or by post to:

Notes for editors

1. The CMA is the UK’s primary competition and consumer authority. It is an independent non-ministerial government department with responsibility for carrying out investigations into mergers, markets and the regulated industries and enforcing competition and consumer law. For CMA updates, follow us on Twitter @CMAgovuk, Flickr, LinkedIn and Facebook.
2. The CMA launched its market study into digital comparison tools (DCTs) in September 2016.
3. The CMA’s working definition of a DCT is: web-based, app-based or other digital intermediary services used by consumers to compare and/or switch between a range of products or services from a range of businesses.
4. For further information on this market study and to view the update paper, visit the case page.
5. The results of the consumer survey can be found on the case page.
6. Market studies are carried out using powers under section 5 of the Enterprise Act 2002 (EA02) which allows the CMA to obtain information and conduct research. They allow a market-wide consideration of both competition and consumer issues. Market studies take an overview of regulatory and other economic drivers in the market and consumer and business behaviour.
7. Enquiries should be directed to Simon Belgard (simon.belgard@cma.gsi.gov.uk, 020 3738 6472).

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The new £1 coin becomes legal tender from today.

This is the first new £1 coin to be introduced in more than 30 years and will be the most secure of its kind in the world – highlighting the UK’s position as a world leader in innovation.

The new coins are being produced by The Royal Mint, in South Wales, at a rate of up to four million per day. The public can now expect to find them in their change in the coming days and weeks.

Around 1.5 billion new £1 coins are being produced by The Royal Mint and these will be distributed to banks and retailers over the next 6 months. Round £1 coins will be returned to The Royal Mint – some of which will be reused to make the new coin.

Commercial Secretary to the Treasury Baroness Neville-Rolfe said:

This is a giant step forward to help stamp out counterfeit coins and save businesses and the taxpayer millions of pounds every year.

Today marks the start of the six-month transition period, so I’d urge everyone to make sure they spend, return or donate their old round pounds before 15 October. We have been working hard with businesses over the last three years to help make this changeover as smooth as possible.

Adam Lawrence, chief executive of Royal Mint, said:

It’s an historic day for UK coinage, and one that The Royal Mint has been working towards, together with businesses and industry, for a number of years. From today, the public will start to encounter for themselves the most innovative and secure coin ever produced by The Royal Mint.

It’s been designed to be fit for the future, using security features that aim to safeguard our currency, and currencies around the world, for years to come. Staying ahead of sophisticated counterfeiters remains a constant challenge and this coin helps in that battle.

David Smith, Head of Public Affairs and Research at the British Parking Association, said:

The BPA has been working closely with The Royal Mint and HM Treasury to ensure that its members, who include local authorities, parking operators, and parking machine manufacturers, are ready to accept the new £1 coin wherever possible at launch. Most of the major parking machine manufacturers are positive they will be able to manage the upgrade in a timely manner, having begun upgrades over 12 months ago.

Evidence suggests a significant number of motorists prefer using cash and they should feel confident that they can pay for parking wherever they choose to park when the new £1 coin is launched.

The Royal Mint and HM Treasury have been working with businesses for the past three years to help them prepare for the change. Although many will have upgraded their machines to accept the new coin from 28 March, not all machines will accept the new coin from the date of introduction.

The new 12-sided £1 is highly secure and looks very different. New security features on the one pound coin include a hologram-like image that changes from a ‘£’ symbol to the number ‘1’ when the coin is seen from different angles. It also has micro-lettering and milled edges.

Further information

It is important that all round £1 coins are returned before 15 October 2017 when they lose their legal tender status. People will still be able to return old coins to their bank after this time.

Businesses, as well as members of the public, wishing to find out more information about the support on offer should visit the official new £1 website

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Almost three-quarters of women start breastfeeding when their child is born, but this drops to 44% within 6 to 8 weeks. However, evidence shows the right support helps mums to breastfeed for longer. Public Health England (PHE) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months.

A new survey of 500 mothers of young children commissioned by PHE showed that more than half were concerned that breastfeeding could mean they wouldn’t be able to tell if their baby was getting too much or not enough milk. A similar proportion of mums surveyed thought that people might assume they need a special diet to breastfeed. Nearly 3 in 10 worried that breastfeeding could mean their baby might not be getting the right nutrients, indicating why mothers may stop breastfeeding at this early point.

Breastfeeding boosts a baby’s ability to fight illness and infection. Babies who are not breastfed are more likely to get diarrhoea and respiratory infections. It lowers a mother’s risk of ovarian and breast cancer, and also burns around 500 calories a day.

Start4Life, PHE’s marketing programme that helps parents-to-be and parents to adopt healthy behaviours, has launched a new interactive Breastfeeding Friend (BFF) ChatBot. The BFF is accessed through Facebook messenger and provides personal support for mothers at any time of the day or night to help make breastfeeding a better experience. The BFF will also dispel breastfeeding myths and help alleviate concerns mums have. The ChatBot works as a live chat tool which is able to respond to questions about breastfeeding posed by the user.

Viv Bennett, Chief Nurse at PHE said:

Breastfeeding, while natural, is something that all mums and their babies learn by doing. Mums tell us that after the first few weeks breastfeeding becomes easier, so proper support is crucial at this time, which is where our BFF is designed to help.

We can all help women feel comfortable breastfeeding their baby wherever they are. Creating a wider culture of encouragement and support will help make a mother’s experience all the more positive.

The survey also confirmed that breastfeeding in public is something that mums are concerned about. The mothers polled were most likely to say that they would feel embarrassed breastfeeding in the presence of people they don’t know (63%). 59% feel the same about partner’s family and 49% felt it about siblings and wider family members.

Minister for Public Health and Innovation Nicola Blackwood said:

Research shows that breastfeeding gives babies the best start in life but I know it’s not always easy for new mums to start. Start4Life’s new interactive Facebook messenger ChatBot is a quick and easy way for mums to get help and information, and complements the ongoing support from their midwifery team and health visitor.

Jacque Gerrard, Director for England at Royal College of Midwives’ said:

Getting infant feeding right will help give new-born babies the best possible start in life. Women need all the support they can get, particularly first time mothers. It is important that midwives and maternity support workers continue to promote breastfeeding. Any initiative that goes towards helping mothers start and sustain breastfeeding for longer is positive as we know the health benefits from being breastfed last a lifetime.

High-profile figures who promote breastfeeding had a positive influence on the mums polled. Household names like Sam Faiers, Fearne Cotton and Blake Lively, who have recently championed breastfeeding on social media, inspired 49% of mums to breastfeed their own babies. Two-thirds (64%) felt more confident to breastfeed in public because of celebrity mums.

For more information, advice and tips on breastfeeding visit: www.nhs.uk/start4life.

To access the Breastfeeding BFF, simply open Facebook Messenger and search Start4Life BreastFeeding Friend or visit m.me/Start4LifeBreastFeedingFriend to get started.

For further information, images or interviews please contact:

1. The Start4Life Breastfeeding Friend, BFF for short, is a ChatBot accessible via Facebook Messenger, using Android or iPhones, tablets or computers. It provides answers to users’ breastfeeding questions, any time of the day or night, from getting started to continuing breastfeeding after weaning. To start a chat with the Start4Life BreastFeeding Friend:
   • visit m.me/Start4LifeBreastFeedingFriend or click on one of our Facebook ads and if you have Facebook Messenger installed, you’ll be taken straight to the app to start your chat
   • open the Facebook Messenger app and search for Start4Life Breastfeeding Friend in the search bar at the top of the app
   • visit facebook.com/Start4LifeBreastFeedingFriend and click ‘send message’ underneath our cover photo
2. In addition to the Breastfeeding BFF ChatBot, there are many other ways that mothers can get breastfeeding support. The Start4Life website has a range of advice and resources which can help mothers continue breastfeeding, as well as a dedicated helpline they can call. Mothers can also get help through their:
   • friends and family
   • midwifery team
   • health visitor
   • local breastfeeding drop-in services
3. Facts on breastfeeding:
   • PHE recommends that babies are exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months to give them the best start in life
   • breast milk boosts babies’ ability to fight illness and infection in their first 6 months
   • breastfeeding lowers the risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer for the mother, and also burns about 500 calories a day
   • breastfeeding has a positive impact on the whole population. Moderate increases in breastfeeding would translate into cost savings for the NHS
4. TNS data was collected from 500 mothers of children aged 0 to 18 months on behalf of PHE in October 2016. The statements about breastfeeding that those surveyed most agreed with in the Start4Life survey were that:
   • it could be painful (74%)
   • it could prevent me from taking medication (71%)
   • I wouldn’t be able to tell if my baby was getting enough or too much milk (54%)
   • it could tie me down and stop me doing what I want to (51%)
   • I may have to eat a special diet (49%)
   • I couldn’t take the birth control pill (37%)
   • women with breast implants are not able to breastfeed (29%)
   • my baby may not be getting the necessary nutrients (27%)
   • some women’s breasts can be too small to be able to breastfeed (24%)
   • it could stop me exercising (24%)

5. Sometimes breastfeeding isn’t possible for a range of reasons. If this is the case, in terms of liquids babies should only be given infant formula milk for the first 12 months and no other types of milk.

6. Start4Life’s Baby Club and Start4Life website offers NHS information and advice for parents-to-be and parents of 0 to 5 year olds providing them with the advice they need to help get their child off to the best start in life.

7. The Department of Health is also supporting Unicef UK to develop a neonatal infant feeding network to support sick and preterm babies.

8. Public Health England exists to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing, and reduce health inequalities. It does this through world-class science, knowledge and intelligence, advocacy, partnerships and the delivery of specialist public health services. PHE is an operationally autonomous executive agency of the Department of Health. Follow us on Twitter: @PHE_uk and Facebook: www.facebook.com/PublicHealthEngland.

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The following summary of planned new and ongoing road improvements over the coming week is correct as of Friday 24 March and could be subject to change due to weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances. All our improvement work is carried out with… read more