§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what the reasons are for the delay in the completion of the Review of the Petrol Undertakings; when the review will be completed; and if he will publish the results of the review; [122942]
(2) what discussions he. his officials and the Office of Fair Trading have held with (a) the major oil suppliers, (b) the United Kingdom Oil Producers Association and (c) the Institute of Petroleum, to discuss the Review of the Petrol Undertakings since January 2000; and what the outcome of those meetings was. [122943]
§ Dr. HowellsDTI Ministers and officials have not held discussions with the parties mentioned regarding the Office of Fair Trading's review of the petrol undertakings. During the course of the review the Office of Fair Trading have had discussions with, or invited views from, all sides of the industry. This has included major oil companies and retailers associations. Industry views have helped to inform the Office of Fair Trading's review.
The completion of the review has been delayed because of consultations with the industry and because the Office of Fair Trading has had to allocate resources between several areas of high priority including the investigation of fuel prices in the Highlands and Islands.
The Office of Fair Trading expect to advise ministers shortly on whether the undertakings should be retained, removed or amended. Policy advice from the Director General of Fair Trading to Ministers is not published. However, Ministers will announce their decision on the matter in due course.