§ Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the President of the Board of Trade, if he will make a statement on the proposed sale ofThe Observer.
§ Mr. Heseltine[pursuant to his reply, 30 April 1993, c. 560–61]: I have today received an application for my consent to the proposed transfer of The Observer newspaper to Guardian Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of The Guardian and Manchester Evening News plc. The application invites me to give my consent without a Monopolies and Mergers Commission reference under section 58(3)(a) of the Fair Trading Act 1973. This section gives me discretion to consent to a newspaper transfer without an MMC inquiry where I am satisfied that the newspaper concerned is not economic as a going concern and as a separate newspaper, and that, if the paper is to continue, the case is one of urgency.
I should like to reach a decision as quickly as possible on whether the application falls within section 58(3)(a) of the Act, and if so whether I should give my consent without requiring an MMC report. I am, therefore, inviting comments from interested parties by 21 May. Any person wishing to comment should write by 5 pm on 21 May to:
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