My Lords, no one knows more about consumer protection than the noble Lord, Lord Whitty. He had a distinguished time as chairman of Consumer Focus, for which we are very grateful. It is also interesting to learn what he does during the day: he went to a pop concert, bought a sofa and had a holiday—the man never fails to surprise me. He is of course right about the consumer, and far be it from me to disagree.
I would like to point out that his amendments, being probing amendments, have asked the right questions, and I can answer them. One of those questions was whether this applies to both practice and sector or one or the other. It applies to both, and I hope that that gives him assurance. The existing provisions in Section 135 of the Enterprise Act will enable the CMA to vary the scope of a cross-market investigation. That was news to me and I think it is to him as well. I assure him that enforcing effective competition for the benefit of consumers is already embedded within the market regime, and I hope that that gives him the comfort that he was looking for. I hope that on that basis he feels able to withdraw his amendment.