HC Deb 13 January 1998 vol 304 cc191-2W
Kate Hoey

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what factors underlay her decision not to seek amendment to the decision by the Office of Fair Trading to release Inntrepreneur from its undertakings given on the recommendation of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. [21093]

Mr. Nigel Griffiths

Ministers do not have the legal power to revoke the February 1997 decision of their predecessors to vary the Inntrepreneur (IPCL) undertakings. Under UK competition law, further undertakings based on the 1991 MMC report between Elders IXL Ltd. (which owned Courage Ltd.) and Grand Metropolitan could be sought from Inntrepreneur only on the basis of the adverse effects detailed in that report. The UK's competition authorities have not identified any such grounds for seeking further undertakings from IPCL.