§ Mr. SternTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he has any plans to amend the regulations for reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in relation to projected takeovers by non United Kingdom resident companies.
§ Mr. MaudeNo. The Government's policy on merger control was set out in our Blue Paper of 3 March following a review of mergers policy. The main consideration in deciding whether a merger should be referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission is the effect of the merger on competition. This applies to bids by foreign companies just as to bids by domestic companies.