Mulholland presses BISC on pubco inquiry

Pro-pub MP Greg Mulholland has raised concerns about the timings of the forthcoming inquiry into pub companies' conduct.

In a letter to chair of the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee (BISC) Adrian Bailey MP, Mulholland said it is important that BISC sticks to the original deadline for pubco change of June this year.

On behalf of the All Party Parliamentary Save the Pub Group, he wrote: "The group is concerned that if the committee is not adhering to its timetable, this may lead to discussions on how to act following the committees leadership on this issue and could be used by the Government as an excuse for not meeting its deadline either."

Mulholland commented: "[BISC's] leadership has been the driving force for pushing the pub companies to reform themselves and it will be the select committee who will judge this against the very clear criteria they set.

"Due to the select committee's lead, the Government itself is committed to taking action in June 2011 and it is important that they are not given the opportunity to wriggle out of the very clear timetable they are signed up to, simply because the select committee has not yet managed to report.

"I hope that by writing to the chair of the select committee we can really push the importance of the committee sticking to their own timeline, and ensure the Government are not able to use any delay as an excuse for not taking action if  action is needed according to their own clear criteria."

The exact timetable for the BISC investigation has still not been revealed.