§ Mr. John MarshallTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will ask the Director General of Fair Trading to re-examine the workings of the net book agreement.
§ Mr. RedwoodIn both 1962 and 1968 the restrictive practices court found the operation of the net book agreement not to be contrary to the public interest. The Director General of Fair Trading carried out a substantial investigation into the operation and effects of the net book agreement in 1989 to see whether circumstances had changed. He concluded that there was an insufficiently strong basis to justify his making an application to the restrictive practices court for a re-examination of the issues. The possibility of making such an application in the future is kept under review by the director general.