§ Mr. Michael Martinasked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will ask the Director General of Fair Trading to investigate as an anti-competitive practice the levying by certain banks of a commission on cheques cashed by members of the public who are not customers of the bank concerned.
§ Mrs. Sally OppenheimSection 3 of the Competition Act 1980 gives the Director General of Fair Trading the discretion whether or not to initiate a preliminary investigation into a course of conduct that may be anticompetitive. Steps to recover the costs of clearing the cheques on non customers do not prima facie constitute an anti-competitive practice.