§ Sir David SteelTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will ensure that the net book agreement will be maintained, by seeking to make statutory provision if it becomes necessary. [33144]
§ Mr. Jonathan EvansThe net book agreement benefits from two decisions of the restrictive practices court exempting books from the general prohibition of resale price maintenance and upholding the agreement on public interest grounds. So long as those decisions remain in force, it is for the parties to decide whether to maintain the agreement. The restrictive practices court has been asked to consider whether its previous decisions stand.