A UK body appointed to investigate monopolies, mergers, and anti-competitive practices referred to it by the Director General of Fair Trading or the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. The MMC did not initiate its own inquiries, and its reports led to changes only through government action, legislation, or voluntary compliance to avoid these. The MMC was replaced by the Competition Commission in 1999 which was, in turn, replaced by the Competition and Markets Authority in 2015.