§ 1. Mr. Wadeasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will now request the Monopolies Commission to inquire into the subject of exclusive dealing in the distribution of petrol and ancillary agreements restricting the supply of accessories to garages.
§ The President of the Board of Trade (Mr. Peter Thorneycroft)I have nothing to add to my hon. and learned Friend's reply to the hon. Member for Bradford, South (Mr. George. Craddock) on 24th July.
§ Mr. WadeI am, of course, aware of that. I am also aware that the Restrictive Trade Practices Bill reached its final stages in this House yesterday. As these exclusive-dealing agreements will probably not even be registrable under the Restrictive Trade Practices Bill, and in view of the far-reaching consequences of this exclusive dealing policy and the growth of a great many tied garages, will the Minister give an assurance that this important subject will be referred to the 1122 Monopolies Commission? If he is not in a position to say that now, can he state definitely when a decision will be reached on this question?
§ Mr. ThorneycroftI will bear these factors in mind.