Talk:Office of Fair Trading

message: The article lacks references - especially the Microsoft section where POV is an issue. --Mereda 15:20, 23 May 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Cleanup 

message: Support Xn4 (talk) 16:36, 20 August 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Requested move

message: I work at the OFT and have cleared up some simple factual inaccuracies and out of date information. However no criticisms or other information has been removed! I have also not sought to add further up to date examples of cases undertaken which show the impact of the OFT across sectors(though I think there are many).
The changes made for accuracy outlined below fully. 
Role: I have added a fuller explanation here. I took out this bit ('As far as business conducting is concerned, studies cover some government laws and regulations to ensure a competitive environment') as did not think I can don't make sense of it. I have added some very basic information providing more up to date information on what the OFT does following a restructure a few years ago. This short addition is sourced from the OFT’s most recent annual plan: ‘The majority of the OFT’s work consists of analysing markets, enforcing consumer and competition law, merger control, licensing and supervisory work (consumer credit, estate agency, anti-money laundering supervision), advocacy, delivering information and education programmes and campaigns to business and consumers and delivering advice to consumers through Consumer Direct.’
http://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/about_oft/ap11/oft1215.pdf
Structure: I have cut out the first two paragraphs which are out of date – mentioning an old OFT structure. I have left in the final two paragraphs which is up to date on the current structure and shorter!  (http://www.oft.gov.uk/about/structure/).
I have removed that the OFT is situated next to the Press Complaints Commission (they've moved!).
Reputation: I changed the the last line as it is inaccurate and misleading ('the OFT claimed direct savings to consumers worth £77m; the OFT costs for the same year were £78m'). This is based only on savings from competition work only, whereas the NAO report which this is based said it was based on competition work and market studies; so in fact direct savings were £175million on two areas; the OFT costs for these two areas [competition work and market studies] is in fact  £26million [evidence for this from NAO report p.5 from this cited below].  So the full NAO study says:
'Based on prudent assumptions developed using academic evidence and international best practice, and case officers’ knowledge, the OFT estimated the average saving from its competition enforcement work is £77 million each year.  Based on assumptions of what is likely to happen following the implementation of the OFT’s recommendations, it estimated that market studies work had saved consumers £98 million in 2007-08.' 
'The OFT spent approximately £26 million (around 33 per cent) of its £78 million expenditure in 2007-08 on its competition enforcement work (£18 million) and market studies (£8 million).' (p5)
So changing the para purely to be accurate about the NAO's report which is cited I have changed to the following:
'The National Audit Office issued a report in March 2009 on the OFT's competition enforcement work,[5] which indicated progress in 7 out of 10 objectives, but also concluded:
...So whilst the OFT has improved the value for money it provides, there remains scope for further improvement. 
According to the same report, in 2007-08 the OFT estimated that its competition enforcement work led to direct savings to consumers worth £77m per year and that its market studies work had saved consumers £98m in 2007-08 (p13); the OFT costs for these areas of work in the same year were approximately £26 million of its £78m expenditure in 2007-08 (p5).'
Board: Some board members have left and others joined so changed this. The factual information is here http://www.oft.gov.uk/about/structure/board/
Jonathan --Marciano1111 (talk) 13:59, 4 May 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Update for accuracy