§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to prevent the formation of buses monopolies in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. PortilloThe Office of Fair Trading has the appropriate powers to investigate the formation of monopolies in the bus industry. I have made clear that, in giving consent to the sale of public transport companies, one of our main objectives is to promote fair and sustained competition in the bus industry. Local authorities have been advised to consult the Department of Transport at an early stage where a sale seems likely to result in one company gaining a dominant and substantially unchallenged position in the local market.