§ 26. Mr. Staintonasked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development whether, without disclosing confidential details, he will publish at an early date an appreciation showing the general tendency of the replies received by his department to the enquiries initiated by his predecessor to ascertain the views of the various parties as to the benefits or otherwise of resale price maintenance as permitted by the Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1956.
§ Mr. HeathI regret that this is not possible without providing a full analysis of the replies which would involve information provided for us in confidence.
§ Mr. StaintonWhile appreciating the general drift of my right hon. Friend's reply, and also remarking my consciousness of the confidential undertaking given by his predecessor in 1950 when this inquiry was launched, I ask my right hon. Friend whether he does not think that he might now ask the respondents to this questionnaire whether they would be willing to cooperate in this vein? Several respondents at least have voluntarily disclosed their replies made to the President of the Board of Trade. Furthermore, does not he appreciate that the Resale Prices Bill is an historic departure in the commercial practice of this country and that the more documentation we have on record about this, so much the better.
§ Mr. HeathIf individual firms, organisations or individuals wish to make public the information they gave to us, that is their responsibility. But I do not think that it would be possible for us to continue consultations of this kind in future, in confidence, if on one specific occasion we ask the people who have contributed the information to allow us to break that confidence and publish it all. For the future we must maintain the position that my predecessor took up.