Clause 21 - Relevant merger situations
Enterprise Bill
4:30 pm
Miss Melanie Johnson (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry; Welwyn Hatfield, Labour)
When we devised the turnover test, our intention was that it should catch roughly the same number of merger cases as the asset test does at present. In fact, research carried out by the Department of Trade and Industry suggested that the figure of £45 million roughly equates to £70 million in assets, hence the figure that we have chosen. We do not propose to change the figure, although obviously we have the opportunity to see how it works out in practice. Opposition Members have my assurance that we are not looking to catch any more than the present regime does.