Contribution
I thank the noble Lord and the noble Viscount for their thoughtful contributions in this debate. I will try to address each of the points raised in turn.
First, the noble Lord, Lord Fox, talked about how much has changed since May 2024 and I really see that, whether it is in terms of innovation and the types of technology that we are using and need to protect consumers from, or global international relations and all the conversations that are happening on that side. If anything, I feel that international co-operation is going to be more important than ever, given these times, in terms both of co-operation on policy and communication about what has worked. I can assure the Committee that the Government will continue to work to ensure that there is effective collaboration with all their international partners in this regard.
The noble Lord also mentioned secondary ticketing and asked whether there has been any progress. I can confirm that on 10 January 2025, the consultation process commenced on the resale of live events tickets, alongside a call for evidence on pricing practices in the live events sector. Coming just off the back of what was a very exciting football event—my husband was particularly excited to see its outcome—we have a really thriving entertainment and sports sector, so making sure that we are protecting consumers in this space is an issue which is close to many of us. The consultation and call for evidence close on 4 April and the Government will consider all responses carefully before setting out their position.
With regard to any changes with the CMA, I can confirm that the Government are fully committed to the CMA and its independence. The reform agenda is really about ensuring that our regulators are delivering a stable and predictable environment that can support growth. We know that independent regulation is at the heart of providing that competition, but a market that our consumers believe and trust in will also support the economy and the growth that the Government are so aligned to. As Sarah Cardell, the CEO of the CMA, highlighted in her recent speech, there is no conflict between going for growth and driving competition. The reform programme will be all about complementing this approach.
The noble Lord, Lord Fox, raised the question of foreign ownership of state media. The Government are of course making sure that we can protect freedom of speech and a free press that is not subject to foreign state interference. I am as not deeply familiar with the consultation that the noble Lord referred to, so we will write to him to find further details and clarification, where we are able to do so, with regard to the Government’s position.
Turning to the questions raised by the noble Viscount, Lord Camrose, he talked about the overview of the protection afforded for information sharing. Protecting that data is a topic that is also close to my heart, so I commend any questions on it. Public authorities are and will continue to be subject to data protection law and other legal protections around confidentiality. Each regulator will have its own processes in place. For example, in the CMA’s recently published rules and guidance governing its new consumer enforcement powers, it sets out how confidential information provided by traders subject to enforcement will be protected.
With regard to subscription traps, another area that has been reviewed as part of this legislation, further detail on the operations of the subscriptions regime will be set out later this year in the regulations. They will be consulted on to ensure a balance between consumer protection and business freedom. There will also be a familiarisation period for businesses, once the regulations are finalised, to make sure that they have time to properly transition to the new framework, as well as any technology systems that will be needed to provide it.
The successful passage of these regulations will help to ensure the smooth commencement of Part 3, and Chapter 1 of Part 4, on 6 April 2025. I am hugely grateful for the support across the Committee on the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2025. I commend these regulations to the Committee.