§ Mr. William Hamiltonasked the President of the Board of Trade what stage he has reached in his discussions with the petrol companies about the implementation of the recommendations made by the Monopolies Commission in their report on the supply of petrol to retailers in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. JayI am glad to say that, with one exception—Total—I have now received Undertakings from all the suppliers of petrol and lubricants from whom I sought them. These Undertakings, which will come into effect on 6th August, 1966, should remedy the abuses identified by the Commission. In view of the changing nature of the trade in the petrol market, however, I propose to review the whole position in 18 months' time.
I am placing copies of the Undertakings, together with a list of those companies which have agreed to be bound by them, in the Library of the House.
In the case of Total, I have made a Statutory Order which will also become operative on the 6th August. I shall present this to Parliament for approval as soon as possible.