HC Deb 18 May 1988 vol 133 cc449-51W
Mr. Blair

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many references have been made to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in each year from 1978–79 to 1987–88; and if he will list them, giving in each case the reason stated for the reference.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

Sixty-five mergers have been referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission over the period 1978–79 to 1987–88. This excludes newspaper mergers and monopoly and competitive practice references. The 65 merger references are listed in chronological order.

Press notices issued at the time of the reference give details of the reason for reference. In the majority of cases the reason for reference was competition.

1978

  • Lonrho/Suits/House of Fraser
  • Hepworth Ceramic/H & R Johnson Richards Tiles
  • General Electric Company/Avery's
  • FMC/Merck & Co. Inc./Alginate Inds. Ltd.

1980

  • Hiram Walker-Gooderham & Worts/Highland Distilleries Co. Ltd.
  • Blue Circle Inds. Ltd./Armitage Shanks Ltd.
  • S & W Berisford/British Sugar Corp.
  • Europcar/Godfrey Davis
  • Grand Metropolitan Hotels/Coral Leisure Group

1981

  • Lonrho/House of Fraser
  • Enserch/Davy
  • European Ferries/Sealink
  • Hover Lloyd/BR Hovercraft
  • Standard Chartered Bank/Royal Bank of Scotland
  • BTR/SERCK
  • Argyll Foods/Linfood Holdings

1982

  • Rowntree Maclntosh/Huntley and Palmer
  • Nabisco Brands/Huntley and Palmer
  • ICI/Arthur Holden
  • GUS/Empire Stores
  • Chartered Consolidated/Anderson Stratchelyde
  • Sunlight/Jhonson/Initial
  • Prosper de Mulder/Midland Cattle Products (Thomas Borthwick and Sons)
  • Linfood/Fitch Lovell
  • Abele/Illingworth Morris

1983

  • Redland/Ibstock Johnson
  • Ibstock Johnson/London Brick Co.
  • Knoll International/Sothebys
  • Taubman/Sothebys
  • Hepworth Ceramic/Steetley
  • Grand Metropolitan/Pleasurama/Trident
  • P and O/Trafalgar
  • GKN/AE

1984

  • Lonhro/House of Fraser
  • Scottish and Newcastle Breweries/Camerons
  • Dee/Booker McConnell
  • BET/Initial

1985

  • Imperial/Permaflex
  • Scottish and Newcastle/Matthew Brown
  • British Telecom/Mitel
  • McCorquodale plc/Richard Clay plc
  • Elders IXL/Allied Lyons
  • BET/SGB

1986

  • GEC/Plessey
  • Imperial/United Biscuits
  • Guinness/Distillers
  • Cope Allman/Firth Cleveland Steel Strip
  • McCorquodale/Norton Opax
  • Tate and Lyle/S and W Berisford
  • Hillsdown/S and W Berisford
  • Ferruzzi/S and W Berisford
    • 451
  • London International/Wedgewood
  • P and O/European Ferries
  • Trusthouse Forte/assets of Hanson Trust
  • Strong and Fisher/Garnar Booth
  • Gulf Resources/IC Gas

1987

  • Co-op/House of Fraser Funerals
  • Swedish Match/assets of Allegheny International
  • MAI/London and Continental Advertising Holdings
  • BA/British Caledonian
  • Book Club Associates/Leisure Circle
  • Warner/Chappell

1988

  • Hanson/Armitage
  • Mitek Industries/Gang Nail
  • KIO/BP