Event Description
The Northern Ireland Competition Forum invites you to:
A New Approach to Consumer Protection: What it Means for Businesses and Consumers in Northern Ireland
10:30am, Wednesday 28 May 2025, McCracken Building (Block BC), Ulster University, York Street, Belfast
sponsored by
Arthur Cox and Ulster University
Do you own or run a business and sell products, services, or digital content to consumers, sell goods online, or are you a lawyer who advises businesses?
Do you represent consumers and want to understand their new and updated consumer rights?
Since April 2025, landmark new consumer protection provisions have come into force under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA), giving the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) the power to deliver more effective consumer protection. The new regime helps safeguard consumer interests while enhancing trust—supporting consumer spending and the adoption of new products and services across the economy. The regime applies to companies both large and small and fosters a level playing field for fair-dealing businesses—allowing them to grow and invest with confidence while ensuring that competitors cannot gain an unfair advantage by breaking the law.
The CMA’s Senior Director for Consumer Protection, Hayley Fletcher, will provide a keynote address which will cover:
- the CMA’s approach to the new consumer protection regime
- the changes to unfair commercial practices, including an explicit ban on the posting and commissioning of fake reviews, and updates to the law on pricing information businesses must show to customers
- next steps, including further guidance and opportunities for engagement.
The presentation will be followed by an opportunity to pose questions to Hayley and Damien Doherty, Chief Inspector Trading Standards Service in Northern Ireland, about what these changes mean for businesses and consumers in Northern Ireland.
Who should attend:
Businesses, consumer groups, legal professionals, trading standards officers, policy advisers, and anyone interested in what the new regime means.
How to attend:
To register, please complete the following registration form by COP 23 May 2025.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Kind regards
The Northern Ireland Competition Forum
Agenda
10.30 Registration and networking
10.50 Welcome
10.50 Opening Address
David Black, Partner, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Arthur Cox
10.55 Keynote Address: A New Approach to Consumer Protection
Hayley Fletcher, Senior Director for Consumer Protection, CMA
11:25 Q&A: What does the DMCC Act means for businesses and consumers in Northern Ireland?
Chaired by Anne-Marie Murphy, Director of Strategy & Emerging Markets, Consumer Council Northern Ireland
Panel: Hayley Fletcher, CMA Senior Director for Consumer Protection and Damien Doherty, Chief Inspector, Trading Standards Service Northern Ireland
11.55 Closing remarks
Madison Bowyer, Associate, Corporate and Commercial, Arthur Cox
Register for Event
