§ Mr. BakerTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what thresholds her Department uses to determine the levels of concentration of media ownership which would trigger her Department's intervention. [37020]
§ Mrs. Beckett[holding answer 30 March 1998]: Under the newspaper merger provisions of the Fair Trading Act 1973, proprietors of newspapers circulating in the UK must obtain my prior consent to acquire a newspaper or newspaper assets where the total paid-for daily circulation of the newspapers involved is 500,000 or more.
Under the Fair Trading Act 1973, the Director General of Fair Trading keeps a constant eye on United Kingdom markets and has the power to refer a monopoly situation to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission for investigation. The legislation defines a monopoly situation as one where a company or group supplies or purchases 25 per cent. or more of all the goods or services of a particular type in the United Kingdom or in a defined part of it.
The limits on broadcast media ownership and cross-media ownership are set out in the Broadcasting Acts, which are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
§ Mr. BakerTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations she has received from(a) Mr. Rupert Murdoch and (b) News International in respect of media shareholdings in the United Kingdom. [37017]
59W
§ Mrs. Beckett[holding answer 30 March 1998]I have received no such representations.