§ Mr. StrangTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what account he is taking of state ownership in considering whether to refer the proposed merger of Thomson CSF and GEC Airborne Radar capabilities to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission;
(2) whether he has any plans to refer the proposed merger of Thomson CSF and GEC Airborne Radar capabilities to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission;
(3) what factors he is taking into account in considering whether to refer the proposed merger of Thomson CSF and GEC Airborne Radar capabilities to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.
§ Mr. RedwoodThe joint venture between GEC-Marconi and Thomson-CSF is being considered by the Director General of Fair Trading. If his office finds that it qualifies for investigation under the terms of the Fair Trading Act 1973, the Director General will advise the Secretary of State on whether it should be referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. The main grounds for referring a merger to the MMC is its effect on competition in the United Kingdom. In addition, the Secretary of State announced on 26 July last year that he would pay particularly close attention to the degree of state control, if any, of acquiring companies when considering whether to refer merger situations to the MMC.