§ Mr. Whitakerasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement about the price-fixing arrangements between Initial Services, Advance Laundries, Spring Grove Laundries, Linen Replacement Services, and Achille Serre; and whether he will refer them to the Restrictive Practices Court.
§ Mr. JayThe Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1956, does not cover services. The Board of Trade may, however, ask the Monopolies Commission to investigate these where the conditions prescribed in the Monopolies and Mergers Acts, 1948 and 1965, prevail.
I am not at present satisfied that there are grounds for reference to the Commission in this case.
§ Mr. Whitakerasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will revoke approval of the recent increase in 70W laundry charges, in view of the evidence that they are calculated to produce profits in excess of the cost occasioned by tax increases.
§ Mr. JayIn those cases where my Department's inquiries have shown that increased charges are justified by the criteria in paragraphs 4 and 5 of the White Paper on Prices and Incomes Standstill, the laundries have been informed accordingly. A large number of cases in which the facts are more complicated are the subject of further inquiries.