§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the current position of the referral of the press to the Office of Fair Trading and Monopolies and Mergers Commission.
§ Mr. MaudeI understand that the Director General of Fair Trading is continuing his inquiries into the structure of newspaper publishing, competition between newspapers, and the involvement of newspaper groups in other media. If a full-scale investigation were seen to be necessary it would be likely to take the form of a reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.