§ Lord Orr-Ewingasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will list the merger references (excluding newspaper mergers) reported on by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission since its inception, stating in each case whether the recommendations were accepted, rejected or laid aside.
§ Lord TrefgarneUnfortunately, records in the detail you request are not available for the period from 1973, when the Commission was constituted in its present form, to 1979. However, a list of merger reports published since 1980 is available and I attach a copy. A further copy will be made available in the Library.
Following is the list referred to:
554WA
MERGERS REPORTED ON BY MMC SINCE 1980 Merger Result Action 1980 1. Hiram Walker—Gooderham & Worts/Highland Distilleries Co. Ltd Adverse No available information 2. Blue Circle Inds Ltd/Armitage Shanks Ltd Cleared 555WA
Merger Result Action 1981 3. S&W Berisford/British Sugar Corp Cleared 4. Europcar/Godfrey Davis Cleared 5. Lonrho/House of Fraser Adverse Accepted: merger prevented 6. Enserch/Davy Adverse Accepted: merger prevented 7. European Ferries/Sealink Adverse Accepted: merger prevented 8. Hoverlloyd/BR Hovercraft Cleared 1982 9. Standard Chartered Bank/Royal Bank of Scotland Adverse Accepted: merger prevented Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp/Royal Bank of Scotland Adverse Accepted: merger prevented 10. BTR/Serck Cleared 11. Nabisco Brands/Huntley and Palmer Cleared 12. ICI/Arthur Holden Cleared 13. Charter Consolidated/Anderson Strathclyde Adverse Not accepted: proposed merger not prevented 1983 14. GUS/Empire Stores Adverse Accepted: merger prevented 15. Sunlight/Johnson/Initial Adverse Accepted: merger prevented 16. Linfood/Fitch Lovell Cleared 17. Abele/Illingworth Morris Cleared 18. Ibstock Johnson/London Brick Co. Cleared 19. Taubman/Sothebys Cleared 20. Grand Metropolitan/ Pleasurama/Trident Adverse Accepted: merger prevented 1984 21. Hepworth Ceramic/Steetley Adverse Accepted: merger prevented 22. P&O/Trafalgar House Cleared 23. GKN/AE Adverse Accepted: merger prevented 1985 24. Lonhro/House of Fraser Cleared 25. Dee/Booker McConnell Cleared 26. BET/Initial Cleared 27. Scottish and Newcastle Breweries/Matthew Brown plc Cleared 1986 28. British Telecom/Mitel Cleared 29. Elders/Allied Lyons Cleared 30. BET/SGB Cleared 31. GEC/Plessey Adverse Accepted: merger prevented 32. McCorquodale/Norton Opax Cleared 33. P&O/European Ferries Cleared 556WA
Merger Result Action 1987 34. Tate & Lyle/S&W Berisford Adverse Accepted: merger prevented 35. Ferruzzi/S&W Berisford Adverse Accepted: merger prevented 36. Trusthouse Forte/Hanson Trust Cleared 37. Co-op/House of Fraser Funerals Adverse Accepted: Co-op were required to divest some of their Scottish funeral firms 38. Swedish Match/assets of Allegheny International Cleared 39. MAI/London & Continental Advertising Holdings Adverse Accepted: MAI were required to divest a number of their postersites 40. BA/British Caledonian Cleared 41. Book Club Associates/Leisure Circle Adverse MMC's recommended remedy not accepted. Secretary of State decided that acquisition should be prevented 42. Warner Communications/Chappell & Co Inc Cleared 43. MiTek Industries Inc/Gang-Nail Systems Inc Adverse Accepted: MiTek were required to divest Gang-Nail Systems 44. The Government of Kuwait/The British Petroleum Company Plc Adverse Accepted: KIO were required to reduce their shareholding in BP to 9.9℅ or less 1989 45. Thomson/Horizon Cleared 46. Badgerline Holdings/Midland Red West Holdings Adverse Accepted: undertakings obtained from Badgerline to remedy adverse effects
Merger Result Action 47. Minorco/Consolidated Goldfields Cleared 48. Elders IXL/Scottish & Newcastle Breweries Adverse Accepted: merger prevented, and Elder's required to reduce existing shareholding 49. Strong & Fisher/Pittard Garnar Cleared 50. Hillsdown Holdings/Pittard Garnar Cleared 51. GEC Siemens/Plessey Cleared (subject to undertakings to overcome particular adverse effects) 52. Grand Metropolitan/William Hill Adverse Accepted: Grand Met being required to divest some betting shops 53. Glynwed International/JB & S Lees Cleared