'Refer beer tie to Competition Commission'
The Government should refer the beer tie to the Competition Commission with a view to addressing the dominance of the pubcos.
Farron: beer tie should be examined
That is the call from Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron in an early day motion (EDM) — a petition for MPs — tabled yesterday.
Farron was the first MP to put his head above the parapet when he tabled an EDM back in January, calling for the Government to look at the way pubcos treat their tenants.
In his latest EDM, also signed by Lib Dem MP Greg Mulholland and Tory Peter Bottomley, Farron says that the Beer Orders of 1989 have failed to increase competition in the sector and instead concentrated ownership of pubs in the hands of the pubcos.
It says the house "notes that tied tenants should not be financially worse off than if they were free of tie, that upward-only rent reviews and the gaming machine tie must cease, and that the utmost transparency in all rents and reviews is paramount; and calls on the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to refer the matter of the supply tie and rent formulation to the Competition Commission with a view to addressing the dominance of the big Pubcos in the pub market."
You can view EDM 190 here.
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