§ 26. Mr. Hicksasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is satisfied with competition policy with regard to purchasing by smaller trades compared with the discounts obtained by multiples and the larger retail outlets.
§ Mr. ButcherYes. The Monopolies and Mergers Commission in its 1981 report concluded that the practice of discounting had not in general operated against the public interest. Since then the Director General of Fair Trading has kept the issue under review. I have seen no evidence that any change of circumstances has invalidated the commission's central conclusion; and I am satisfied that the competition legislation offers an effective means of dealing with any specific abuses of market power which may arise.