§ Mr. Gristasked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) if he will refer to the Director General of Fair Trading the differences in retail prices charged for cars reimported to the United Kingdom from other EEC countries compared with the recommended retail price charged for the same cars sold in the United Kingdom without having been reimported;
(2) if he will refer to the Director General of Fair Trading the differences in retail prices charged for cars imported into the United Kingdom from other EEC countries compared with those charged for the same cars elsewhere in the Community.
§ Mr. Peter Rees:I have no plans at present to refer these prices to the Director General of Fair Trading for investigation under section 13 of the Competition Act 1980.
§ Mr. Gristasked the Secretary of State for Trade why new British-made cars are sold cheaper in other countries of the EEC than in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Peter Rees:Car prices in particular markets are essentially a matter for the commercial judgment of the companies concerned. I should be concerned if there were any evidence of unfair trading practices lying behind price differentials. International comparisons are always subject to the exchange rates, which can change markedly.
§ Mr. Gristasked the Secretary of State for Trade whether the prices of British car exports to the European Economic Community have led any other member country to make representations on the basis of dumping.
§ Mr. Peter Rees:I am not aware of any such representations.