§ 19. Mr. Whiteheadasked the Secretary of State for Trade how many merger proposals he has recommended be examined by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission and in how many he has given clearance from examinations since the beginning of the current year; and how these figures compare with those for the same period in 1979.
§ Mrs. Sally OppenheimSince coming into office my right hon. Friend has referred four mergers to the commission ; all these were referred during 1980. During the year to date, approximately 76 merger proposals qualifying for reference under the provisions of the Fair Trading Act were not referred to the MMC.
In the period 1 January-16 June 1979, three mergers were referred to the commission ; and approximately 96 mergers qualifying for reference were not referred.