§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will bring forward measures to allow companies which are complained about to the OFT to see the nature of the complaint made against them when the OFT decide not to pursue the case; and if she will make a statement. [54662]
§ Miss Melanie Johnson[holding answer 8 May 2002]: The Government believe that encouraging complainants to come forward is vital to OFT's enforcement efforts and normally, where the OFT proposed to find an infringement, it would notify the parties to the agreement of the party engaged in the abusive conduct and they would then have a reasonable opportunity to inspect documents held by the OFT. However, where a case has not developed to the point where the OFT was proposing to find an infringement, there is no such provision.