Clause 179 - Cartel offence
Enterprise Bill
11:00 am
Mr Mark Field (Cities of London and Westminster, Conservative)
That shows how at sea we Tories are. We go 180º from one direction to another. The hon. Member for Wolverhampton, North-East (Mr. Purchase) spoke about getting a regulator to determine matters. I would be uncomfortable with that, as it would not be in the interests of business. It would make far more sense if there were co-operation between bus and train companies and the local authorities that set up cycle tracks, for example.
I appreciate that the core issue in respect of cartels is dishonesty. Co-operation is not dishonest, but there may be concerns about large profits being made in a particular region if there are relatively few players in the field and interlinked shareholdings between
transport companies. What might be seen as dishonest may merely be sensible co-operation between companies in the interests of a designated and small consumer group.
In business terms, I am on the side of the angels. I want businesses to be able to co-operate in a sensible way without the implication that they are engaging in illicit cartel activity.