Market investigations are powerful tools that can bring in major changes to make markets work better for consumers and businesses.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) committed, in its Annual Plan, to review the way it conducts them. It took account of experience since market investigations were introduced in the Enterprise Act 2002, as well as legislative changes that came into force in 2014, reducing their time limit from 2 years to 18 months.

Andrea Coscelli, CMA Acting Chief Executive, said:

We believe these changes will enable us to carry out our market investigations more quickly, without reducing their effectiveness. They will preserve a fair and robust process and independence of decision-making throughout, which is central to the regime.

Having considered comments received, we remain convinced that earlier discussion of potential remedies will allow a fuller discussion with all parties involved and bring real benefits in ensuring the most effective measures possible to make markets work better for consumers and businesses.

Having consulted on these proposals during March to May, the CMA is making the following changes to streamline its existing processes and ensure it meets the shorter statutory timescale:

• Assessing potential remedies to improve the market at an earlier stage in the investigation – following consultation it has clarified various aspects, in particular that updated thinking on potential remedies could be included in working papers (as suggested by some respondents) and that in most cases the CMA is unlikely to start detailed work designing potential remedies at an early stage, but our approach will be tailored depending on the specifics of the case.
• Reducing the number of formal publication and consultation stages – removing the Updated Issues Statement, and combining provisional findings and provisional remedies into a single Provisional Decision Report.
• Earlier interaction with stakeholders during the investigation, including holding hearings sooner in the process.
• Allowing market studies (a shorter look at the market which can precede market investigations) to carry out preparatory work when they are likely to lead to a full investigation.
• Introducing the option for the CMA board to give an advisory steer on the scope of the market investigation, which is run by an independent group of CMA panel members.

The document responding to the comments received and the resulting changes in the CMA’s published guidance, are available on the consultation page.

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A South Wales project will receive a share of a £17million UK Government fund to help prevent and address violence against women and girls.

The UK Government has today announced that it will award £1.4million to the South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner for their Violence Against Women and Girls in South Wales Programme.

The grant is awarded through the UK Government’s Violence Against Women and Girls Service Transformation Fund. It is designed to promote projects which are leading the way in stopping violence before it happens, preventing abusive behaviour from becoming entrenched, and establishing the best ways to help victims and their families.

In South Wales, £1.4 million will go to a wide-ranging programme of support using the ‘Change that Lasts’ framework. This includes rolling out the ‘Ask Me’ scheme through which up to 30 ‘community ambassadors’ will be trained to identify the signs of abuse and to provide safe spaces within communities where women can report it.

Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:

Ending violence against women and girls is a priority for the UK Government.

Everyone has a right to live in safety and without fear and this UK Government funding for the South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner will provide victims with immediate support to ensure they can feel safe and secure.

I am proud of what the UK Government has achieved so far to tackle violence against women. But it is a complex problem that we are unable to solve alone. That is why we are sending a clear message to local agencies – including police and local authorities – that tacking violence against women and girls should be a priority for them too.

By working together and confronting these vile crimes we will find ways to beat them. I am determined to see a future where no woman or girl need live in fear. The Violence against Women and Girls Transformation Fund brings us one step closer to reaching that destination.

As part of the early intervention work and to break the cycle of violence, the UK Government is working with local authorities on changing the attitudes and behaviours of perpetrators, to make sure rehabilitation, mental health interventions and other appropriate perpetrator programmes are in place.

The funding for successful bids was announced today in a speech by the Home Secretary to the Women’s Aid conference to members in Coventry.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said:

Tackling violence against women and girls is ‘everyone’s business’. It needs a joined-up, collaborative response locally, providing support to victims through health, education and social care, as well as the police.

These projects will help ensure that victims and survivors get the right support at the right time, as well as intervening early to prevent these crimes from happening in the first place.

Violence Against Women and Girls devastates the lives of victims and families and this Government will continue to do all it can to protect people from these horrendous crimes.

Today’s announcement represents a further demonstration of the UK Government’s commitment to tackling violence against women and girls and follows confirmation in the recent Queen’s Speech of the forthcoming Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill.

It will include a consolidated new domestic abuse civil prevention and protection order, and enshrine a definition of domestic abuse in law. It will establish a Domestic Violence and Abuse Commissioner to stand up for victims and survivors.

The legislation will allow the Government to ratify the Istanbul Convention, which will enable UK courts to prosecute British citizens for domestic abuse regardless of where in the world the offence was committed.

The Bill will also ensure that if abusive behaviour involves a child, then the court can hand down a sentence which reflects the devastating and life-long impact that abuse can have.

In the last Parliament, the UK Government published its strategy to end violence against women and girls, making clear that everyone needs to play their part – friends, family, employers, health providers and the police. It also introduced a specific offence of controlling or coercive behaviour.

Notes to editors

• The VAWG Strategy, published in March 2016, committed to launching a VAWG Service Transformation Fund as part of the £80million pledged to support the Government’s commitment to tackling VAWG and ensuring victims and survivors get the support they need. Following an additional £20million announced in the Spring Budget, we have now pledged £100million in funding over the Spending Review period.

Responding to the Scottish GDP figures published today, which show 0.8 per cent growth in the Scottish Economy in 2017’s first quarter, the Secretary of State for Scotland, David Mundell said:

These are very encouraging figures. The Scottish economy is returning to growth and I am pleased to see that the manufacturing sector in particular is making the most of export opportunities.

But, over the year, Scotland has continued to lag behind the UK as a whole – so there is still a lot of work to do.

The Scottish Government has extensive powers at their disposal to grow and support the economy and these figures underline the need for our two governments to work together as we prepare to leave the EU.

Brexit will bring new opportunities. We need to ensure Scottish business can take full advantage.

The UK Government is taking concerted action to build a strong economy across all parts of the UK. This includes work on our modern Industrial Strategy, City Deals and supporting businesses beyond the UK market to reach markets around the world through our global network of embassy-based trade experts.

The Scottish Government have the powers to support the country’s economy, including powers over economic development, taxation, skills, as well as additional borrowing powers to allow them to invest where Scotland needs it.

The Scottish Government should be using these to grow the economy alongside the UK, rather than creating huge business uncertainty with the threat of another independence referendum.

Over the past year the UK Government has added over £1 billion to the Scottish Government’s Budget through extra Barnett consequentials. There was an extra £820m in the 2016 Autumn Statement and a further £350m in the 2017 Spring Budget.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) is working to promote shared UK prosperity by financing international trade and investment, and championing free trade across the world.

DIT has worked with Scottish Development International and Highlands & Islands Enterprise on two Exporting is Great tours of Scotland. We will continue to work together helping companies to potentially expand from London into Scotland and across the United Kingdom.

In 2015/16 Scotland benefitted from 108 new Foreign Direct Investment projects, creating 4,178 jobs.

The UK Government has loaned start-up companies in Scotland millions to help businesses.

Sir Simon McDonald, Permanent Under Secretary and Head of Her Majesty’s British Diplomatic Service is on a visit to Dar es Salaam helping to cement the close relationship between Tanzania and the UK, Tanzania’s number one foreign direct investor.

During his 2 day visit, the top diplomat will meet Tanzania’s Foreign Minister Dr Augustine Mahiga and the Permanent Secretary for Trade, Industry and Investment, Prof Mkenda to discuss bilateral issues, investment opportunities and how the UK can further partner with Tanzania. He will visit the Dar es Salaam port to see the port improvement programme funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) through Trade Mark East Africa and the World Bank, and UK Border Force security assistance with UNODC .

He will meet representatives from the private sector including Ali Mufuruki, head of the Tanzania CEO Round Table, as well as academia and civil society. He will also have the opportunity to listen to the views of some of Tanzania’s young people when he meets DFID’s Youth Panel, a group of young Tanzanian volunteers who advise DFID on policy.

Sir Simon’s visit is part of a regional tour to Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania.

Speaking ahead of Sir Simon’s visit, British High Commissioner Sarah Cooke said:

This is Sir Simon’s first visit to Tanzania and a chance for him to see, first hand, the strength of the UK/Tanzania partnership across a range of areas. I am delighted he is able to visit Tanzania at this time.

Sir Simon joined the British Diplomatic Service in 1982 and has served in Berlin, Jeddah, Riyadh, Bonn, Washington and Tel Aviv, and in a wide range of jobs in London. Before taking up the role of PUS, Sir Simon served as the British Ambassador to Berlin from 2010 to 2015, the Prime Minister’s Foreign Policy Adviser and Head of Foreign and Defence Policy in the Cabinet Office from 2007 to 2010. From 2003 to 2006 he was British Ambassador to Israel. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George in 2014.