§ Sir Roger MoateTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the review by the European Commission of the block exemption of British brewers with regard to the tied house system; what steps are being taken to safeguard the interests of brewers and licensees; what assessment he has made of level of support in the European Union for the proposal to continue the exemption after 1997; and what plans Her Majesty's Government have to secure alternative provision for British brewers. [9924]
Mr. John M. TaylorThe block exemption which deals with the tie between brewer and landlord will first be considered as part of a wider debate on the treatment of distribution agreements under EC competition law. The Commission will publish a green paper on this issue later this year. Consideration of specific types of agreement such as the tie will follow on from the green paper, at which time my Department will consider the specific interests of the UK's brewing industry.
Whatever the outcome of the wider review, my Department will oppose any changes to the block exemption dealing with the tie which would result in the UK's brewers finding themselves in an unfair position compared with brewers in other member states.