§ Mr. ColvinTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on the supply of beer will apply to Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RedwoodIn its report on the supply of beer in the United Kingdom published on 21 March 1989 the Monopolies and Mergers Commission looked at the market in Northern Ireland. The commission noted that the markets in Scotland and Northern Ireland differed in some respects from those in England and Wales, but that in others were similar. The commission concluded that the characteristics of those markets were not so different as to warrant separate regulation. The Supply of Beer Orders made following the report therefore apply equally to Northern Ireland and Scotland as to other parts of the United Kingdom.