Part 3: Enforcement of consumer protection law Notification of CMA Section 171: Notification requirements: proceedings
This section, which restates section 230 of the Enterprise Act 2002, applies if a local weights and measures authority (i.e. Trading Standards department) in England and Wales intends to start proceedings for an offence under an enactment listed in Part 1 of Schedule 15 (subsection (1)).
	The authority must give the CMA notice of its intention to start proceedings (subsection (2)). Subsection (3) sets out the notice period. The authority must also notify the CMA of the outcome of the proceedings (subsection (4)).
	The underlying policy intent is to enable the CMA to fulfil its coordination role. For example, the CMA could inform one authority that another is prosecuting, or that an enforcement order has been granted, in respect of the same infringing practice.
	Any criminal proceedings will not however be invalid simply because the prosecuting authority has not given the CMA notice (subsection (5)).
	This section is not relevant to Scotland, where all criminal prosecutions are brought by the Procurator Fiscal, nor to Northern Ireland where public law enforcement of consumer protection legislation rests with the Department for the Economy.