PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
INNTREPENEUR PUB COMPANY LTD (1 July 1997)

That this House deplores the unfair treatment of tenants of Inntrepreneur and similar companies who entered into agreements with Inntrepreneur on the basis of their business being free of tie by 1998 at the latest; believes that these contract should be honoured; believes that the decision by Inntrepreneur to renege on their agreement to release all their tied public houses was dishonourable and self-serving and that the decision by the Office of Fair Trading to release them from their undertaking was equally wrong and founded on the incorrect premise that the tied trade would receive discounts, support or concessions that would compensate for the loss of discounts available on the free wholesale market; affirms that the evidence clearly demonstrates that landlords of tied public houses are at a significant commercial disadvantage relative to those operating in the free market; calls on the Office of Fair Trading to review its decision urgently; and calls on the Commission of the European Communities to reject the application of the Inntrepreneur Pub Company Ltd. for a special exemption to Article 85/1 of the Treaty of Rome.

Sponsored by:
Dr Stephen Ladyman (Labour)