§ Mr. Forthasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will report progress on the rolling programme of references of nationalised industries to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.
§ Mr. TebbitDuring 1983, reports were published on Caledonian MacBrayne, the National Coal Board, the Yorkshire Electricity Board and the Civil Aviation Authority's Air traffic control services.
I have received the commission's reports on the costs and efficiency of London Transport's bus maintenance operations and on the South Wales Electricity board. Both of these will be published in due course.
The commission is currently investigating the letter post in inner London, Cardiff, Glasgow and Belfast.
I have concluded that it would be inappropriate to proceed with the inquiry into British Shipbuilders' merchant ship-building activities planned for last autumn. It would have come at a time in the current world recession in this industry when many yards are clearly working so far below their capacity that in such circumstances an investigation would not have been useful.
I shall shortly be referring the Yorkshire water authority followed by an electricity supply industry reference. In the summer I intend to refer the counter services of the Post Office and later in the year aspects of public sector bus provision in Scotland and the British Rail Property Board.
Terms of reference will be announced as each reference is made.