Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the acquisition of Barchester Healthcare by Welltower on market concentration in the care-home sector in London and the South East of England.

Government has not made a specific assessment of the impact of Welltower’s acquisition of Barchester Healthcare on market concentration in London and the Southeast. Merger investigations on competition grounds are a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which operates independently of Government. The CMA determines which transactions to review based on statutory thresholds and whether there is a realistic prospect of a substantial lessening of competition.

The Government keeps the merger control regime under regular review to ensure it remains fit for purpose and works effectively within the current regulatory environment.