HC Deb 02 December 1996 vol 286 c495W
Mrs. Clwyd

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the number of professional newsagents(a) currently operating and (b) operating five years ago. [7369]

Mr. Page

This information is not available from official sources.

Mr. Pickthall

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what measures he is taking to ensure the newsagents have choice in where to buy their newspapers. [6836]

Mr. John M. Taylor

None. The Monopolies and Mergers Commission in its 1993 report on the supply of national newspapers did not find that the publishers' practice of granting exclusive rights to wholesalers to distribute over specified areas was against the public interest.

Mr. Pickthall

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many small independent newsagents have gone out of business in the past 12 months. [6837]

Mr. Page

This information is not available from official sources.

Mr. Pickthall

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what measures he is taking to monitor the transfer of newspaper deliveries between newspaper wholesalers. [6835]