§ Mr. Parryasked the Minister for Trade (1) if he will list the names of hon. Members who have made representations to him concerning the takeover bid by Linfood Holdings for Fitch Lovell;
(2) what representations he has received concerning the proposed takeover bid by Linfood Holdings for Fitch Lovell; and if he will make a statement.
§ Dr. VaughanI have received 81 letters from hon. Members; it might be taken as a discourtesy if I listed their names.
On 3 November I announced that my right hon. and noble Friend had decided, in accordance with the advice of the Director General of Fair Trading, to refer the proposed merger to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. It was considered that the merger raised issues of public interest that called for investigation, in particular the effects of continuing concentration among the major food distributors.