HL Deb 27 July 1989 vol 510 c1667WA
Lord Graham of Edmonton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will refer the proposed merger of Technicolor Holdings UK Ltd. with Metrocolor Ltd. to the Office of Fair Trading, in respect of the impact on capacity, prices and competition in the film processing sector.

Lord Trefgarne

Under the Fair Trading Act 1973 it falls to the Director General of Fair Trading to keep himself informed of mergers and proposed mergers. Should proposals for a merger between Technicolor Holdings UK Ltd. and Metrocolor Ltd. come forward, they will be considered by the director general, who will advise my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in the normal way on whether the proposed merger should be referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. The director general, in giving his advice, and the Secretary of State, in taking his decision, would take into account all relevant aspects of the case.