§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her Department's policy on(a) competition and (b) regulation in the newspaper distribution industry. [57107]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonResponsibility for monitoring the newspaper distribution market and investigating allegations of anti-competitive behaviour lies with the Director General of Fair Trading.
The Office of Fair Trading is currently reviewing the Code of Practice on the supply of national newspapers, introduced following the 1993 monopoly report on newspaper distribution in England and Wales. It is also examining other issues affecting the industry including exclusive distribution and carriage charges.