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Retail Trade: Software

Asked by James NaishLabourDepartment for Business, Innovation, Science and TradeTabled Answered 8 September 2026UIN 22218

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of retailers' terms and conditions restricting automated and AI-assisted access to their websites on competition among third-party service providers.

Answered by Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade

As the UK’s principal competition authority, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has powers to address competition problems, including in digital markets. The CMA is operationally independent of the Government and decides which issues to investigate.

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