Tag Archives: HM Government

A group of independent panel members has found that the merger of Just Eat plc (Just Eat) and Hungryhouse Holdings Limited (Hungryhouse) does not raise competition concerns.

Just Eat and Hungryhouse are web-based food ordering platforms in the UK. They give restaurants the opportunity to reach a wider pool of people, as well as offer consumers the convenience of choosing from a large range of takeaway providers in one place.

As first indicated in the provisional findings, the group found that Hungryhouse presently provides limited competition to Just Eat because it is much smaller in size and offers too few unique restaurants. This makes it increasingly difficult for Hungryhouse to attract and retain consumers.

Furthermore, it found that the industry is evolving rapidly following the entry of platforms such as Deliveroo, UberEATS and Amazon, which also manage or facilitate delivery services on behalf of restaurants. These companies generally present a greater competitive challenge to Just Eat than Hungryhouse, and this is likely to grow as they expand.

In reaching its final conclusion, the group also took account of the fact that some customers may order directly from takeaway restaurants, either by telephone, through their websites or by walking in.

All information relating to this merger inquiry can be found on the case page.

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.

2. The CMA began its initial investigation into the merger in March 2017. The CMA referred the case for in-depth investigation on 19 May 2017 and published its provisional findings on 12 October 2017.

3. Certain of the CMA’s functions in phase 2 merger inquiries are performed by independent inquiry groups chosen from the CMA’s panel members. The appointed inquiry group are the decision-makers on phase 2 inquiries. The members of the inquiry group are: Professor Martin Cave (Inquiry Chair), Katherine Holmes, John Krumins and Jayne Scott. The CMA’s panel members come from a variety of backgrounds, including economics, law, accountancy and/or business; the membership of an inquiry group usually reflects a mix of expertise and experience.

4. For more information on the CMA see our homepage or follow us on Twitter @CMAgovuk, Flickr and LinkedIn and like our Facebook page. Sign up to our email alerts to receive updates on merger cases.

5. Media enquiries should be directed to press@cma.gsi.gov.uk or 020 3738 6337.

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The government has announced that it will work with hundreds of industry partners to make 2018 the Year of Engineering – and today (16 November 2017) pledged to work with them to offer a million direct and inspiring experiences of engineering to young people throughout the year.

Teaming up with a diverse range of partners – covering everything from technology, healthcare and food production to energy, culture and transport – the campaign aims to galvanise industry, MPs, parents and teachers in a national push to inspire the next generation of engineers.

Activities will include large-sale outreach programmes, such as a £1 million investment from Shell in the interactive Tomorrow’s Engineers Energy Quest programme for thousands of schoolchildren, a children’s book on engineering from publisher Usborne, and behind the scenes tours for families. The campaign will also highlight the role that individuals can play – from parents helping children with their maths homework or enrolling them in a coding club, to engineers from all backgrounds sharing their experience and advice in schools or via social media.

Year of Engineering partner animation

The commitment comes as the UK faces an estimated shortfall of 20,000 engineering graduates a year, with half of companies in the sector saying the shortage is having a significant impact on productivity and growth. By bringing young people from all backgrounds face to face with engineering experiences and role models, the campaign aims to showcase the creativity and innovation of engineering careers and widen the pool of young people who consider the profession, diversifying a workforce that is 91% male and 94% white.

Partners including Siemens, the Science Museum Group, Ocado, Usborne, BAE Systems and Crossrail have already pledged their support. Teaming up with these and hundreds of other partners, the government will deliver a year of UK-wide school visits, exhibitions and open doors events – all aimed at encouraging young people and their parents to take a closer look at engineering.

Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling said:

Engineering is one of the most productive sectors in our economy, but a lack of young people entering the profession is damaging growth. With major investment being made in infrastructure and new technologies that aim to improve the way we travel, work and live, it’s crucial to the nation’s success that more people join the profession.

This Year of Engineering is our commitment to transforming perceptions of engineering among young people, their parents and their teachers. We need people from all backgrounds to see the creativity, opportunity and value of engineering careers.

Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clarke said:

Engineering makes a significant contribution to our economy and this government is determined to strengthen it further. To ensure we have a high-skilled economy that is fit for the future, our industrial strategy is committed to helping people and businesses by boosting engineering and ensuring everyone has the skills needed to thrive in a modern economy.

Education Minister Anne Milton said:

As Minister for Skills, I want to see young people from all backgrounds have the opportunity to pursue rewarding careers and jobs in engineering whether they choose an academic or technical route. Through the Year of Engineering, we will work with businesses to inspire the next generation of world-class engineers.

For our country to thrive and prosper with the highly-skilled individuals that businesses need we must work with employers to tackle the skills gap. The Year of Engineering will help to address the shortages of engineers that have long held us back as an economy.

An introduction to the Year of Engineering

The Year of Engineering launches in January 2018. To find out more, visit the Year of Engineering partner website or follow the campaign on Twitter. Follow the hashtag #inspireanengineer to discover how parents, teachers, engineers and organisations can inspire the next generation of budding engineers.

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Call for all parties to engage in peace process to ensure humanitarian access in Yemen.

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The number of new homes delivered each year has been increasing since 2010, but the Prime Minister will say there is more we can do to build the homes the country needs.

Speaking ahead of a visit to a housing development in Barnet, North London today (Thursday 16 November), which coincides with the publication of new statistics on housebuilding, Theresa May said:

“For decades we simply have not been building enough homes, nor have we been building them quickly enough, and we have seen prices rise.

“The number of new homes being delivered each year has been increasing since 2010, but there is more we can do.

“We must get back into the business of building the good quality new homes for people who need them most.

“That is why I have made it my mission to build the homes the country needs and take personal charge of the Government’s response.

“Today I am seeing the work now underway to put this right and, in coming weeks and months, my Government will be going further to ensure that we build more homes, more quickly.

“This will be a long journey and it will take time for us to fix the broken housing market – but I am determined to build a Britain fit for the future.”

Later today Communities Secretary Sajid Javid will deliver a speech on housing at the Temple Meads Quarter in Bristol to reinforce the government’s approach to back housing of all tenures, including more social housing.

The Communities Secretary is expected to say:

“The generation crying out for help with housing is not over-entitled. They don’t want the world handed to them on a plate. They want simple fairness, moral justice, the opportunity to play by the same rules enjoyed by those who came before them.

“Without affordable, secure, safe housing we risk creating a rootless generation, drifting from one short-term tenancy to the next, never staying long enough to play a role in their community.

“Our Housing White Paper in February set out our broad vision. It described the scale of the challenge and the need for action on many fronts. Since then we’ve been putting it into action, laying the foundations for hundreds of thousands more homes.

“But there are many, many faults in our housing market, dating back many, many years. If you only fix one you’ll make some progress, but not enough. This is a big problem and we have to think big.”

He will announce that the Government is taking housing associations’ debt off the balance sheet, ensuring housing associations have a stable investment environment to build more homes.

This builds on the Government’s ongoing work to tackle the challenges in the housing sector including:

• Increasing the affordable housing budget by an additional £2 billion to over £9 billion, to deliver more homes at social rent and potentially leverage investment from housing associations and councils of up to £5 billion;

• Setting a long term rent deal for councils and housing associations in England from 2020 – helping support them build more homes;

• Creating the £3 billion Home Building Fund last year to build more houses across England. Over £1.7 billion has now been committed, and will mean over 100,000 new homes built across England;

• Publishing the Housing White Paper which set out the Government’s plans, including ensuring councils release more land for housing, and giving them new powers to ensure that developers actually build homes once they’re given planning permission to do so;

• Introducing schemes like Help to Buy to support people who are struggling right now – this has already helped over 130,000 more families with the deposit they need to buy their own home. We have now invested a further £10 billion in Help to Buy to help a further 135,000 households by 2021; and

• Meeting big and small developers, local authorities and housing associations to ask them to all play their part in increasing the number of homes being built. The Prime Minister and the Communities Secretary recently held a meeting with developers and housing associations in Downing Street to discuss actions needed to remove the barriers they are facing in building new homes.

Since April 2010, around 346,000 affordable homes have been delivered, including 240,000 for rent. More than twice as much council housing has been built since 2010 than in the previous 13 years.

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A Downing Street spokesperson said:

“The Prime Minister and Chancellor co-hosted a roundtable this afternoon with leading figures from the UK tech industry, ahead of a reception at Downing Street attended by entrepreneurs and innovators from across the country.

“The Prime Minister began by welcoming the huge contribution that the tech sector makes to the whole of the UK. She promised to listen to the industry’s views on what more Government can do to help it go from strength to strength.

“The Chancellor said Government would be ambitious as it works to make the most of the incredible potential of the tech sector, to break down the barriers facing entrepreneurs and to drive future growth.

“On Brexit, the Prime Minister said she had no doubt that the UK will remain a brilliant place to build a tech business after we have left the EU, and reiterated that she is determined to get the best deal for our country. There was agreement during the discussion on the need for Britain to take advantage of the opportunity of Brexit to be bold and ambitious in the action we’re taking to boost the tech sector.

“There was also consensus on the need to make sure we’re attracting the brightest and best talent to the UK. Eileen Burbidge, Chair of Tech City UK, welcomed the PM’s announcement of an increase in visas for tech talent as being exactly what the sector needs.

“There was a discussion on skills, and the need to ensure people of all ages and backgrounds have the digital skills to get ahead and take up the good, high-quality jobs on offer in the tech industry. And there was agreement on the importance of continued investment in infrastructure, including superfast broadband.

“Nick Sturge, CEO of Engine Shed, welcomed the new investment to expand Tech City UK into a nationwide network, which he said has the potential to raise the profile of regional tech hubs and entrepreneurs outside of London.

“Culture Secretary Karen Bradley closed the roundtable by reaffirming the Government’s ongoing commitment to supporting the sector and to maintaining this engagement through future meetings, to ensure the UK remains at the forefront of innovation and technology in the years ahead.”

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