asked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what decision Her Majesty's Government has now reached on the recommendations of the Monopolies Commission in its Report of February. 1963, on the supply of electrical equipment for mechanically propelled land vehicles.

As I have previously informed the House, two of the three outstanding recommendations are covered by the legislation on resale price maintenance and the Government's proposals in the White Paper on monopolies, mergers and restrictive practices, and I am in touch with the British Starter Battery Association to ascertain their intentions in the light of the Monopolies Commission recommendation and the proposals in the White Paper.

As there are four recommendations and not two made by the Report, and as this inquiry started in April, 1957, and the Report has been in the hands of the Board of Trade since February, 1963, is it not rather an extraordinary record of incompetence, even for the present Government, that we still have no final decision and no action by the President of the Board of Trade?

No, Sir. I cannot accept that at all. It was not possible to publish the Report, for reasons which the right hon. Gentleman knows perfectly well, until just before Christmas. Since then one of the recommendations has been dealt with by the publication of the Report itself, which has made public the situation concerning some of the firms. Two of the others are covered by the legislation and the proposals made in the White Paper, and the fourth, as I have said, is under discussion with the firms.

Is not the right hon. Gentleman aware that it was not necessary to publish the Report for the Board of Trade to start thinking about it? It has been in the hands of the Board of Trade since February last year, yet the right hon. Gentleman says today that in respect of at least one recommendation he is still in consultation with the manufacturers and has taken no action.

I am in consultation with them because this is the way in which we should handle this problem.