Sections 63 to 67: The Regulator’s competition powers
240.Sections 63 to 67 make further provision concerning the Payment Systems Regulator’s competition powers, including requiring it to provide relevant information and assistance to a CMA group carrying out a market investigation in response to a market investigation reference made by the Payment Systems Regulator. It is also required to keep under review the market for payment systems and the markets for services provided by payment systems. Subsection (1) of section 67 gives the Payment Systems Regulator the power to apply to the court to make a disqualification order against a person who is a director of a company which has committed a breach of competition law. Subsection (2) has the effect of ensuring that the Payment Systems Regulator is a National Competition Authority for the purposes of EU competition law. Subsection (3) amends section 136 of EA02, to ensure that the Payment Systems Regulator would receive a copy of a CMA report where the CMA Board had made a market investigation reference, for consideration by a CMA group, concerning participation in payment systems. Subsection (4) amends section 52 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 so that the power for the Secretary of State to remove from a regulator any of its concurrent competition functions would extend to the Payment Systems Regulator’s concurrent competition functions. Subsection (5) ensures that the CMA is required to report on the exercise by the Payment Systems Regulator of its concurrent competition powers.
