Legislation / Legal
OFT: The OFT has recently issued a Statement of Objections to 4 suppliers of access control & alarm systems to retirement properties alleging that they have infringed competition law, by allegedly engaging variously in a number of collusive tendering arrangements in relation to the supply & installation of certain access control & alarm systems to retirement properties in the UK.
OFT: The OFT has published revised & detailed leniency guidance aimed at providing a clear & practical framework for leniency applications, including a policy of not requiring legal professional privilege waivers as a condition of leniency.
The new guidance is accompanied by two 'Quick Guides', one aimed at businesses and one aimed at individuals. The revised guidance replaces the OFT's previous leniency handling guidance, OFT803, 'Leniency and no-action' and will apply from last week to all leniency applications made to the OFT.
ICO: The Information Commissioner’s Office has served a Manchester company with a monetary penalty of £45,000 for blighting the public with unwanted marketing calls. The ICO proposed to issue a fine of £90,000 but have had to take into account the company’s financial situation and reduce the penalty to £45,000.
As well as failing to remove people from their contact lists, Tameside failed to carry out adequate checks to see whether the people they were calling had registered with the TPS. This is a legal requirement under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations governing electronic marketing.
MoJ: Customers taking on the services of claims management companies (CMCs) will be better protected as tough new rules come into effect. Firms will no longer be able to start acting for someone based on a phone call alone – in future they will have to have a signed contract before they can take any fees.
CC: The review of the proposed merger between The Royal Bournemouth & Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has now reached the stage at which any benefits that might result from it are considered by the Competition Commission (CC).
The CC has provisionally concluded that the proposed merger would reduce choice in a number of clinical specialties for local patients and it will now consider evidence relating to any benefits that the merger may give rise to.
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