The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) held a discussion on collective actions yesterday (24 September), with delegates saying the meeting showed signs of growing support for such cases in the UK.

The one-day meeting was attended by private practitioners as well as members of the OFT, funding industry, Civil Justice Council and European Commission (EC). It focused on competition law and considered issues such as the means for collective redress, funding methods, information disclosure and the interaction between private and public enforcement.

The meeting follows an OFT discussion paper issued in April that raised ideas for UK-style class actions.

One delegate at the meeting told Legal Week: "It was encouraging to see that general support for the greater degree of consumer actions has increased considerably if you compare it even to six months ago."

It is understood there was support for a wider range of designated bodies able to bring collective actions. Currently, consumer body Which? is one of the few able to do so in this field, but recent developments could open up the possibility of private sector bodies also being able to assume responsibility for cases.

The OFT is now set to issue a consultation paper on the issues raised early next year, coinciding with the EC white paper on private enforcement.