HC Deb 20 July 1978 vol 954 cc335-6W
Mr. Shersby

asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection (1) in what circumstances it is his practice to require the Price Commission to make available information from its files to his Department or other Departments of Government;

(2) whether it is the practice of the Price Commission to make available information from its files to Government Departments;

(3) whether the Price Commission is able under statute to make available to his Department or to other Departments of Government the information given to its representatives in confidence in the course of an investigation or examination.

Mr. Maclennan

My right hon. hon. Friend has no power to require the Price Commission to make available any information on its files to his own or any other Goverment Department. The Commission is, however, permitted by statute to give such information to Ministers and officers of the Crown, if it so wishes.

In practice, the Commission does not make information available except in certain limited circumstances described in a letter from its chairman to the director general of the Confederation of British Industry and published in that body's bulletin at the end of April. The circumstances are:

  1. (a) where prima facie evidence of a restrictive practice is disclosed in the course of an investigation, the Commission is required by section 19 of the Price Commission Act to send particulars to the Director General of Fair Trading;
  2. (b) where a notified price increase appears to the Commission to be a strong candidate for investigation, information about the notification is given on a voluntary basis to my Department, who in turn consult other interested Departments. Such information is treated in the strictest confidence: the sole purpose of the consultation is to allow Departments, including the sponsoring Ministry, to inform the Commission if they consider that there are special factors which the Commission should bear in mind in deciding whether or not to investigate.
  3. (c) certain information on pay settlements is passed to the Department of Employment for advice under the terms of the current and earlier Price Codes.

No information made available to the Commission during an investigation or examination is passed to my own or other Departments other than is contained in the reports submitted to my right hon. Friend.