What is the role of the Tribunal?
The Competition Appeal Tribunal or, as it is sometimes known, the “CAT”, is an independent judicial body established to hear appeals against certain decisions of the UK competition and sectoral regulatory authorities made under the Competition Act 1998, the Enterprise Act 2002 and the Communications Act 2003. In broad terms, the authorities whose decisions may be appealed to the Tribunal are: • the Office of Fair Trading • the Competition Commission; • the Secretary of State (in connection with public interest interventions under the Enterprise Act 2002); • the Office of Communications; • the Northern Ireland Authority for Utility Regulation; • the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority; • Water Services Regulation Authority; • the Office of the Rail Regulator; and • the Civil Aviation Authority. The Tribunal can also hear certain actions for damages between private parties following on from a regulatory decision finding an infringement of competition law.
