§ Mr. BaldryTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the market share of retail magazines carried by WH Smith, Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda and Safeway. [132486]
§ Dr. HowellsNone. Under UK competition legislation, responsibility for monitoring markets and investigating complaints of anti-competitive behaviour lies with the Office of Fair Trading. The Office of Fair Trading would look at market share figures if they were relevant in any particular case.
§ Mr. BaldryTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will refer the proposed agreement between W. H. Smith News and Tesco over the supply of magazines to the Office of Fair Trading. [132483]
§ Dr. HowellsThe Office of Fair Trading is aware of the proposed supply arrangements between Tescos and W. H. Smith News. The Director General considers it premature to speculate on the outcome of these or other proposals. However, he will continue to monitor developments in the industry.
§ Mr. BaldryTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Competition Commission inquiry into supermarkets will look at the distribution and supply arrangements of newspapers and magazines to Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda and Safeway. [132482]
§ Dr. HowellsThe Scope of the inquiry into supermarkets is a matter for the Competition Commission. The Commission is due to deliver its report to the Secretary of State on 31 July.