The CMA has published its priorities for 2016/17 which focus on delivering real benefits for consumers, businesses and the UK economy.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is entering its third year and the annual plan commits the authority to helping markets work well through the enforcement of competition and consumer law, undertaking market studies and investigations and regulatory appeals, operating merger control, and via partnership and advocacy.

The CMA enters 2016/17 with a substantial portfolio of ongoing work. It will be a year of finishing what it started, seeing through the cases it has underway and realising the full benefits of the new competition regime. In particular its energy market investigation is due to publish its final report in June 2016 and the final report from the banking investigation will follow in August.

The market study into legal services, which started in January 2016, is expected to publish its final report at the end of 2016 and further projects will be launched over the course of the year, including an analysis of price comparison websites.

The CMA will place an even greater emphasis on carrying out swift and effective enforcement of competition and consumer law, alongside highlighting to businesses how to comply with it. It enters the year with 8 consumer enforcement cases underway, 8 competition enforcement cases, 4 civil cartel cases and one criminal cartel case.

Find more information here.