To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many occasions since (a) the creation of the Competition Commission and (b) the enactment of the Enterprise Act 2002 his Department and its predecessors have declined to (i) support or (ii) accept the Commission’s recommendations or referrals for Government action arising from the Commission’s work. (301028)

There has been one occasion where the Department and its predecessors have declined to support or accept the Competition Commission’s recommendations or referrals to Government arising from their work since their creation, and, the enactment of the Enterprise Act 2002.

In the Commission’s report on Supermarkets published in October 2000, it recommended that there should be a new approval system for supermarket developments. However, it did not make an adverse finding on this issue. The recommendation was not rejected but in responding, the Secretary of State asked the Office of Fair Trading to monitor the situation.