§ Mrs. Anne CampbellTo ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will estimate the number of newsagents who are expected to go out of business following the current deregulation proposals;
(2) if he will estimate the number of school children who will lose their delivery jobs following the current deregulation proposals.
§ Mr. Neil HamiltonStatutory consultation on the provisions of an order under the Fair Trading Act 1973, in relation to the wholesale supply of national newspapers to retailers in England and Wales, ended on 31 March.
The proposed order, which follows a Monopolies and Mergers Commission report, would prohibit wholesalers from refusing to supply retailers on the grounds that an area is already adequately served; placing restrictions on the point of sale; preventing retailers from selling newspapers on to other retailers. I am prepared to consider as an alternative to an order any industry-led solutions that could lead to a substantial increase in competition comparable to that which would be achieved by an order. Until I have had a chance to consider fully the representations I have received I cannot say what precise form the changes I intend to introduce will take. Therefore, I would not wish to speculate about the potential impact of reform.