BUXTON MINERAL WATER

Early day motion 801, tabled 10 March 2004 by Tom Levitt (Labour). Signed by 41 members.

That this House notes that Buxton Mineral Water has had a reputation for its pure and wholesome qualities for around 2,000 years; further notes that it has a significant place in the retail bottled water market and is the official drink for the Wimbledon tennis championship; further notes that the Buxton Mineral Water company is a significant employer in Buxton; additionally notes that the Coca Cola company, which provides chiller cabinets for drinks in many retail stores, is seeking to ban Buxton Mineral Water from its chiller cabinets and replace it with its own product; observes that whereas regulations exist to prevent the monopoly abuse of retail freezer cabinets for ice cream, no such regulations exist for chilled drinks; calls upon Coca cola to behave as though such regulations did apply to chilled drinks and to continue to allow retailers some discretion as to whether or not to stock Buxton Mineral Water in their chiller cabinets; and requests that the Office of Fair Trading investigates this matter.

Signatures by party: Labour 28, Liberal Democrat 8, Conservative 2, Independent Conservative 1, Labour/Co-operative 1, Plaid Cymru 1.