When the results of the Office of Fair Trading's construction investigation first emerged, my first thought was unprintable. My second thought was: "They had better have got this right!" Now that I think about it, I find it inconceivable that the OFT would publish the names of 112 firms suspected of cover pricing if it didn't believe it was correct. Having been the chief executive of the Housing Corporation, I know that at large regulatory bodies sobriety is always the order of the day. You don't publish anything unless you're sure you have your facts straight, because the impact on organisations can be severe. Furthermore, the fact that more than 80 firms have accepted some responsibility already and a significant number have sought leniency, suggests that the report is accurate. We therefore have to assume that the OFT report is correct and work on that basis.
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