§ Dr. HowellsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 30 January,Official Report, column 325, if he will define the exceptional circumstances in which Ministers in his Department receive representations from companies with a direct interest in a Monopolies and Mergers Commission merger report prior to a decision being made on the report; and if any such exceptions have been made during the last 18 months, indicating in which cases and for what reasons. [15199]
Mr. John M. Taylor[holding answer 12 February 1997]: It is clearly not possible to define in advance exceptional circumstances. However, very occasionally, one of the parties to a merger may, for example, inform the Department of a significant change of circumstances in the market under examination that has occurred after the MMC has reported and Ministers would not be able properly to reach a decision without taking that new information into account.
It is not my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade's policy to make public further details concerning an individual merger case once the report describing the results of the thorough inquiry conducted by the MMC has been published and my right hon. Friend's decision has been announced.