Clause 21 - Relevant merger situations
Enterprise Bill
4:30 pm
Miss Melanie Johnson (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry; Welwyn Hatfield, Labour)
It is a worldwide figure. If hon. Members are interested and feel that we may have erred on the wrong side in the matter, the research showed that £42 million was a better equivalence, so we have decided to err on the side of catching fewer by upping the figure to £45 million, in any event.
As the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Mr. Djanogly) recognised, that system will be monitored and the OFT will advise the Secretary of State from time to time as to whether it is still appropriate. As hon. Members are aware, the level can be changed by order if necessary. We are not seeking to increase the work of the OFT in some gratuitous way. We have picked the figure as carefully as we can. Experience will tell whether we have got it exactly right, but we believe
that we have. I ask the hon. Gentleman to withdraw the amendment.