§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make a statement about the code of practice being negotiated with the holiday caravan industry.
§ Mrs. Sally OppenheimThe Director General of Fair Trading has been discussing a draft code of practice for holiday caravan sites with the National Caravan Council and the National Federation of Site Operators. Unfortunately, it has not so far been possible to agree a code which the Director General feels would strike a fair balance between the interests of caravan owners and site operators. Since the Director General continues to receive complaints from caravan owners he has decided to refer to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission practices in the supply of pitches for holiday caravans in the clearly defined Northern Ireland market.
Unless the associations put forward new proposals, I understand that the Director General does not propose to continue his discussions about the proposed code of practice until he receives the commission's findings on the situation in Northern Ireland. I understand that when he receives them he will consider whether they provide a basis to reopen negotiations with the two associations on a United Kingdom code of practice.