GovWire

Guidance: How to respond to the veterinary services market for pets review

Competition Markets Authority

October 19
16:06 2023

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched a review into the veterinary services market for household pets. Household pets include small animals like:

  • dogs
  • cats
  • rabbits

As part of this work, the CMA opened questionnaires to hear from pet owners and people who work in the veterinary services sector.

These were open for 6 weeks and are now closed.

Find out more about this review

Read more about this review, including on how we might use your information and future updates, on the veterinary services market for pets review page.

How we might use your information

This section sets out how we may use the information you provide to us during the course of our review looking into the veterinary services market for household pets, in line with our legal responsibilities. In particular, please note that we may choose to refer to comments or information that you provide in a published report or publish non-confidential information on our website. This may include identifying the contributor.

In carrying out this review, the CMA is acting in relation to its function under section 5 of the Enterprise Act 2002 which gives the CMA the power to obtain, compile and keep under review information about matters relating to its other functions, so the CMA has sufficient information to make informed decisions and carry out those functions effectively.

What will the CMA do with the information I provide?

Your information will help inform our review looking into whether the veterinary services market is working well for pet owners. It may also help inform us about the experiences of vets and others that work in vet practices of selling veterinary services.

We may disclose any information provided by you for the purposes set out in sections 7, 170 and 241 to 243 of the Enterprise Act 2002, where we consider such disclosure to be appropriate. In particular, we may choose to put information provided by you to third parties, such as other government departments and other parties providing information to the CMA, for the purpose of facilitating any further related work.

Where appropriate, we may use information you provide to take enforcement action, using our competition or consumer powers, against businesses operating in the market within the scope of this review. We may also share your information with another enforcement authority or with another regulator for them to consider whether any action is necessary.

Unless an exemption applies, we may disclose the fact that you have provided information to us, and the information you have provided, in accordance with our obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Will the CMA take steps to protect my information?

We may only publish or share with others information that you provide to us in specific circumstances set out in legislation (principally Part 9 of the Enterprise Act 2002). In particular, prior to publication or any such disclosure, we must have regard to (among other considerations) the need for excluding, so far as is practicable:

  • any information relating to the private affairs of an individual which might significantly harm the individuals interests
  • any commercial information which, if published or shared, we think might significantly harm the legitimate business interests of the undertaking to which it relates

We will redact, summarise or aggregate information in any documents we may publish, where this is appropriate to ensure transparency whilst protecting legitimate consumer or business interests.

There are also special arrangements in place for employees or ex-employees who may wish to provide the CMA with information and/or raise a concern about their employers possible involvement in anti-competitive or unfair trading practices. For further details see the CMA guidance on whistleblowing.

How will the CMA handle any personal data I provide?

Any personal data you provide to us will be handled in accordance with our obligations under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. Our Personal Information Charter sets out the standards you can expect from us when we collect, use or share personal data and provides details of your rights in relation to that personal data and how to contact us.

What should I do if I have concerns about how the CMA will use any information I provide?

You should make clear to us any information that you consider to be confidential when you provide it to us and set out why you consider it to be confidential.

If we want to include any sensitive commercial or personal information in any document that will be published we will, save in exceptional circumstances, contact you prior to publication to give you an opportunity to tell us about any concerns you may have regarding that publication.

Where can I find further information?

Further details of the CMAs approach can be found in Transparency and Disclosure: Statement of the CMAs Policy and Approach CMA6.

You have certain rights over your personal data under data protection law, including the right to complain to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) about how your personal data is being processed. The ICO is the regulator for personal data. For more information about your rights, please see the CMAs Personal information charter.

Published 7 September 2023
Last updated 19 October 2023 +show all updates
  1. Questionnaires closed.

  2. First published.

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