I received an automated email from the Number 10 website, with the Government’s response to the petition about glass prices:
We received a petition asking:
“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to to instruct Lord Mandleson to investigate glass pricing activities currently being taken by the dominant glass suppliers to the UK.”
Details of Petition:
“The dominant glass suppliers (all non UK owned) to the UK are planning to significantly increase prices (by up to 50%). This will potentially drive small companies out of business, raising unemployment, and driving up building costs in an already depressed construciton industry. The increases are all of a similar magnitude, and have been anounced in the same period. By these actions the glass manufacturers would appear to be trying to profiteer at others expense during a recession, with the UK tax payer picking up the cost.”
Read the Government’s response
The petition refers to price increases recently announced by glass suppliers and calls for an investigation into whether these may have been co-ordinated in breach of competition law.
Responsibility for promoting effective competition in markets and investigating possible breaches of competition law rests with the relevant competition authorities. In cases primarily concerning enterprises operating in the UK market, the relevant authority would be the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). In cases where the actions of the enterprises has effects in more than three Member States of the European Union, it would generally fall for consideration by the European Commission who may be better placed than the OFT to consider such agreements or conduct.
In recent years, the European Commission has twice investigated cartel activity involving European glass manufacturers and has imposed substantial fines on the relevant enterprises.
Anyone with reason to consider an enterprise, or group of enterprises, is acting in breach of competition law should submit information direct to the relevant competition authority. Guidance on competition law can be found on the OFT website at www.oft.gov.uk
