Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024

Prospective

15 (1) Section 110 (enforcement of powers under section 109: general) is amended as follows. U.K.

(2) In the heading, for “general” substitute “imposition of penalties”.

(3) For subsection (1) substitute—

“(1) The CMA may impose a penalty on a person in accordance with section 111 where the CMA considers that—

(a) the person has, without reasonable excuse, failed to comply with any requirement of a notice under section 109;

(b) the person has, without reasonable excuse, obstructed or delayed another person in the exercise of the other person’s powers under section 109(6);

(c) the person has, without reasonable excuse, altered, suppressed or destroyed any document which the person has been required to produce by a notice under section 109.

(1A) The appropriate authority may impose a penalty on a person in accordance with section 111 where the authority considers that—

(a) the person has, without reasonable excuse, supplied information that is false or misleading in a material respect to the authority in connection with any of the authority’s functions under this Part;

(b) the person has, without reasonable excuse, supplied information that is false or misleading in a material respect to another person knowing that the information was to be used for the purpose of supplying information to the authority in connection with any function of the authority under this Part.

(1B) In this section, and in sections 111 to 117, “the appropriate authority” means—

(a) the CMA;

(b) the Secretary of State;

(c) OFCOM.

(1C) But the appropriate authority may not proceed against a person under this section in relation to an act or omission which constitutes an offence under section 116A or 117 if the person has, by reason of that act or omission, been found guilty of that offence.”.

(4) In subsection (2), for “subsection (1)” substitute “subsection (1)(a)”.

(5) Omit subsections (3) to (8).

(6) For subsection (9) substitute—

“(9) In deciding whether and, if so, how to proceed under subsection (1) or (1A) or section 39(4) or 51(4) (including that enactment as applied by section 65(3))—

(a) the CMA must have regard to the statement of policy which was most recently published under section 116 at the time when the act or omission concerned occurred;

(b) OFCOM must have regard to the statement of policy which was most recently published under section 392 of the Communications Act 2003 (penalties imposed by OFCOM) at the time when the act or omission concerned occurred.”

Commencement Information

I1 Sch. 10 para. 15 not in force at Royal Assent, see s. 339(1)