HC Deb 22 February 1993 vol 219 c433W
Mr. David Shaw

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement regarding his decision on the possible reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission of the Airtours plc bid for Owners Abroad plc.

Mr. Heseltine

I shall take a decision on whether to refer this proposed acquisition to the MMC in due course, following advice from the Director General of Fair Trading. When taking that decision, I shall take into account all relevant factors.

Mr. Waterson

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his policy regarding the concentration of ownership within the package travel industry; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Heseltine

The main, but not exclusive, consideration when assessing mergers in the travel industry, as in any other industry, is the likely impact of the merger on competition in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Clapham

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (I) if he will refer the Airtours bid for Owners Abroad to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission; and if he will make a statement;

(2) what assessment he has made of the effect of a successful bid by Airtours for Owners Abroad on consumer choice, value for money and employment within the United Kingdom travel industry; and if he will make a statement;

(3) what percentage of the market share Airtours would hold in the event of its bid for Owners Abroad being successful.

Mr. Heseltine

I shall take a decision on whether to refer this proposed acquisition to the MMC in due course. When taking that decision, I shall take into account all relevant factors.

Details of current market share figures for the relevant markets in this case have been provided by a number of sources. Section 133(1) of the Fair Trading Act 1973 requires that information with respect to any particular business and obtained in this way should not be disclosed without the consent of the parties.