To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his oral answer of 14 June, Official Report, column 777, what response he has received from the Director General of Fair Trading regarding concerns about newspaper carriage charges. [32824]

I understand that the Office of Fair Trading is monitoring carefully the effects of the recent changes in the newspaper industry, including their impact on carriage charges. The OFT will keep under consideration whether a further reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission would be justified.