Schedule 1 - The Office of Fair Trading
Enterprise Bill
12:15 pm
Miss Melanie Johnson (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry; Welwyn Hatfield, Labour)
That also is a matter for the OFT. I will take the hon. Gentleman's question away and consider whether I want to comment on it further. However, I believe at this stage that that is a matter for the OFT to consider under the arrangements that I have outlined this morning. As I said, the OFT will be constrained by other Acts and laws. Within the restrictions, however, the OFT is allowed to act as it needs to in order to fulfil its functions.
Finally, the schedule lays down that the OFT, as an authority, may be subject to investigation under the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967, which specifies that its members are barred from sitting in this House or the Northern Ireland Assembly. Hon. Members therefore need not apply. The schedule sets out the framework within which the OFT will operate. It also sets important boundaries and confers equally
important powers and freedoms on the new organisation. That is in line with an authority that is an independent, but still accountable, transparent public body.
Question put and agreed to.
Schedule 1 agreed to.