§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what changes he proposes to competition law in the context of the impending reorganisation of milk marketing arrangements.
§ Mr. Neil HamiltonI have today laid before the House the Monopolies References (Alterations of Exclusions) Order 1994. The order, which amends part II of schedule 7 of the Fair Trading Act 1973, will enable the Director General of Fair Trading to refer to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission the wholesale supply of milk in areas which are no longer covered by a statutory marketing scheme. This fulfills the commitment which the Government gave in 1993 during the passage of the Agriculture Act that, once the milk marketing schemes were revoked, milk trading should be fully subject to competition law in the same way as any other sector.
The order comes into force on 31 October 1994. As each statutory scheme is revoked, the market it covered will become subject to scrutiny by the Director General of Fair Trading, who will be able to make a reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission if he considers it appropriate.