§ Mr. AlexanderTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received on the retail price of compact discs. [152098]
§ Dr. HowellsFollowing DTI's first International Price Survey officials have been monitoring developments in the CD market. Officials have had discussions with record companies, retailers, consumer organisations and the Office of Fair Trading.
A competition inquiry into the supply of compact discs was launched by the Office of Fair Trading on 9 February. The inquiry will consider whether the way in which the record companies have responded to imports of cheaper CDs from elsewhere in the EU amounts to a breach of the Competition Act 1998. The inquiry is expected to take six months.