On 23 November 2016, the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, delivered his Autumn Statement. The main announcement of interest to competition lawyers is that .the government intends to publish a green paper in Spring 2017 that will closely examine markets which are not working fairly for consumers.

Other announcements that might be of interest are include the plans to ban letting agents' fees to tenants, to improve competition in the private rental market The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) will consult ahead of bringing forward legislation.

The Chancellor announced the establishment of a National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF), which will be targeted at four areas critical for improving productivity: housing, transport, digital communications, and research and development The NPIF will provide additional support in order to support the market to roll out full-fibre connections and future 5G communications, delivering a step change in broadband speed, security, and reliability and a boost to the next generation of mobile connectivity. The funding will be delivered through a new Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund, to at least matched by private finance, to invest in new fibre networks. Funding will also be provided for a co-ordinated programme of integrated fibre and 5G trials (with further detail will be set out at Budget 2017).

In relation to the rail sector, from 2018-19 to 2020-21, the NPIF will allocate an additional £450 million to trial digital signalling technology, to expand capacity, and improve reliability. Around £80 million will be allocated to accelerate the roll out of smart ticketing including season tickets for commuters in the UK’s major cities.

For information about key business tax announcements in the Autumn Statement, see Legal update, 2016 Autumn Statement: key business tax announcements. For our analysis of the impact of the 2016 Autumn Statement on a range of practice areas and sectors, see 2016 Autumn Statement.