§ Mr. WareingTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what changes he is planning to generate more competition in the brewery industry.
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§ Mr. Neil HamiltonAs my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade made clear in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Hertfordshire, South-West (Mr. Page) on 19 January,Official Report, column 159–60, and in his evidence to the Agriculture Select Committee—inquiry into the effect of the Beer Orders—it is desirable that the brewing industry should have a period of regulatory stability. It was for this reason that my right hon. Friend decided not to ask the Director General of Fair Trading—DGFT—to undertake a full-scale review of the effects of the Beer Orders, although the DGFT will continue to monitor the market and will investigate any evidence of anti-competitive behaviour in line with his statutory duties. There are, therefore, no specific plans to initiate further changes to the structure in the brewing industry or in the vertical arrangements as now regulated by the Beer Orders.