Lords question Competition Commission and Office of Fair Trading
22 October 2010
The House of Lords Communications Committee took evidence from the Competition Commission and the Office of Fair Trading this week, as part of its inquiry into the regulation of television advertising.
The Committee asked the Office of Fair Trading and the Competition Commission about the recent review of the Contract Rights Renewal (CRR) Undertakings, which regulate what ITV can charge for advertising. They asked about the evidence gathered during the review and the arguments which led the Competition Commission to the conclusion that the CRR undertakings should remain in place, despite the developments in the television sector and in television advertising market since they were introduced in 2003.
The Committee took evidence at 3.15 pm on Tuesday 26 October in Committee Room 2 from:
- Ms Diana Guy, Deputy Chairman, Competition Commission
- Mr Bill Roberts, Senior Business Adviser, Competition Commission
- Mr David Saunders, Chief Executive, Competition Commission
- Ms Hannah Priest, General Counsel's Office, Office of Fair Trading
- Ms Juliet Young, Director – Consumer Markets, Office of Fair Trading
The Committee also questioned the witnesses about the public interest issues involved and the likely financial effects on the television advertising market if the CRR were to be removed.