§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment she has made of the competition issues arising from the equity participation by British Airways in Eurostar. [51289]
§ Mr. Nigel GriffithsAs my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions has announced, London and Continental Railways (LCR) will retain ownership of Eurostar (UK) Ltd. (EUKL)—the UK arm of the Eurostar international passenger train service. LCR will award a management contract to operate EUKL to a consortium comprising National Express Group, the national railways of France and Belgium, and British Airways. Those arrangements, details of which have yet to be settled, will be considered by the relevant competition authorities. In the first instance, it will be for the Director General of Fair Trading to consider whether those arrangements may give rise to a qualifying merger under the Fair Trading Act 1973.