§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list all industries and professions which have been the subject of a referral by the Government to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, as part of the process to eliminate restrictive practices, since 1979.
§ Mr. MaudeAgreements subject to the Restrictive Trade Practices Act 1976 are not referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, but are registered by the Director General of Fair Trading, who may refer them to the Restrictive Practices Court.
The Fair Trading Act 1973 gives both the Director General of Fair Trading and Ministers powers to make monopoly references to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. Ministers may also make general references under section 78 of the 1973 Act, and references as to restrictive labour practices under section 79 of that Act. The Competition Act 1980 gives the Director General of Fair Trading powers to refer anti-competitive practices. A list of all such references made to the commission since the beginning of 1979 is as follows:
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Monopoly references under the Fair Trading Act 1973 Full title of reference Year of reference Supply of Tampons 1979 Full line forcing and tie-in sales 1979 Supply of Liquefied Petroleum Gas 1979 Inner London Letter Post 1979 Supply of Concrete Roofing Tiles 1979 Supply of Ready-Mixed Concrete 1979 Wholesale Supply of Motor Car Parts 1980 Supply of Films for Exhibition in Cinemas 1980 Supply of Pitches for Holiday Caravans in Northern Ireland 1981
Full title of reference Year of reference Supply of Contraceptive Sheaths 1981 Supply of Animal Waste 1982 Supply of White Salt 1983 Supply, maintenance and repair of Postal Franking Machines 1983 Supply of Tampons 1984 Supply of agency services by travel agents for tour operators in relation to the marketing and supply of foreign package holidays 1984 Supply of the services of managing greyhound tracks 1984 Supply of Steel Wire Fencing 1984 Supply of Marine Radio Navigation Receivers 1985 Supply of Pest Control Services 1986 Supply of Beer 1986 Supply of the services of advertising in magazines for Campers, Climbers and Walkers 1987 Supply of Credit Card Services 1987 Supply of Codeine 1987 Supply of Gas to Contract Customers 1987 Supply of Artificial Lower Limbs 1987 Advertising rules of Osteopaths 1988 Advertising rules of Civil Engineers 1988 Reference under Section 78 of the 1973 Act Broadcasting and Public Performance Rights in Sound Recordings 1988 Reference under Section 79 of the 1973 Act Restrictive Labour Practices in Television and Film Making 1988 Anti-competitive practice references under the Competition Act 1980 TI Raleigh Bicycles 1981 Sheffield Newspapers Ltd. 1981 London Electricity Board 1982 Ford Motor Company 1984 British Broadcasting Corporation and Independent Television Publication Ltd. 1985
§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list all those professions currently under examination by the Government as part of the process to eliminate restrictive practices.
§ Mr. MaudeThe Director General of Fair Trading has a statutory duty to keep commercial activities under review, and this includes the behaviour of the professions. The Government, in developing their policies, give a high priority to competition. We have also stated in the recent Green Paper, "Review of Restrictive Trade Practices Policy", (Cm. 331) that exemptions from the current restrictive trade practices legislation, including those for professional services, will not be automatically carried across into the new legislation, but will have to be justified afresh.