§ 45. Sir C. Osborneasked the President of the Board of Trade what is Her Majesty's Government's policy with regard to the recent spate of take-overs and amalgamations; and whether he will in 404W struct the Monopolies Commission to investigate recent developments and make a speedy report as to how far they result in price fixing and discourage competition.
§ Mr. Darling:It is no part of the Government's policy to hold back mergers except in those relatively few cases where they appear to raise questions of public interest which require examination by the Monopolies Commission. The Commission can be expected to report on any material issue arising in those recently proposed mergers which have been referred to them.