§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) when he intends to make a decision on the recommendation of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission of September 1980 that credit card companies should be obliged to abandon their policy of preventing traders from offering different prices to credit card users and other customers;
(2) how many letters he has received on the subject of the recommendations of the Monopolies Commission on credit cards since the publication of the report; and how many of the letters were in support of the commission's recommendations;
(3) how many instances have been reported to him of garages and other retailers charging extra sums to credit card users since the publication of the recommendations of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission;
(4) if he considers that the changes in the basis for charging consumers using credit cards and other means of payment which have stemmed directly from the publication of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission have, on balance, been beneficial or damaging to the interests of consumers.
§ Mrs. Sally OppenheimMy right hon. Friend is still considering the advice of the Director General of Fair Trading following his consultations with interested parties. I shall make an announcement as soon as practicable. Till then it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the effects on consumers' interest of surcharging credit card users.
Since publication of the report my right hon. Friend has received 46 letters on the commission's recommendations. Three supported its findings. We are aware that many garages and a number of other retailers now impose surcharges on credit card transactions and, of the letters received, 15 cite specific instances of this. I am concerned that where surcharging occurs it should be clearly indicated.