# Restrictive Trade Practices Act 1976 (repealed 1.3.2000), Section 30: Agreements holding down prices.

Extent: E+W+S+N.I.

(1) A competent authority may by order approve for the purposes of this section any agreement made at the request of the competent authority, or any term included at their request in any agreement, being an agreement or term which relates exclusively—
(a) to the prices to be charged in connection with transactions of any description and is designed either to prevent or restrict increases or to secure reductions in those prices; or
(b) in relation to an agreement to which this Act applies by virtue of an order under section 11 or section 12 above, to the charges to be made in connection with transactions of any description and is designed either to prevent or restrict increases or to secure reductions in those charges.
(2) Where an agreement is approved by order under this section, the agreement shall be exempt from registration under this Act during the continuance in force of the order; and where a term of an agreement is so approved, that term, and any restrictions accepted or information provisions made thereunder, shall during the continuance in force of the order be disregarded for all purposes in determining whether this Act applies to the agreement.
(3) An order under this section shall continue in force for such period as may be specified therein, which may be extended by subsequent order of the competent authority: but the period so specified shall not exceed two years, and shall not be extended by more than two years at a time.
(4) An order under this section may at any time be revoked by order of the competent authority if it appears to that authority that the relevant agreement or term is used for purposes other than those for which it was approved.
(4A) If an agreement, or term of an agreement, approved by an order under this section is subsequently varied—
(a) the approval shall be treated as extending to the agreement, or term, as varied, but
(b) the order shall cease to have effect unless the competent authority which made the order receive particulars of the variation before the end of the period of 21 days from the day of the variation.
(4B) The particulars to be given for the purposes of subsection (4A)(b) above shall—
(a) in so far as the variation is made by an instrument in writing, be given by producing the original or a true copy of the instrument, and
(b) in so far as the variation is not so made, be given by producing a memorandum in writing signed by a party to the agreement.
(4C) Where a competent authority receive under subsection (4A)(b) above particulars of a variation of an agreement, or term of an agreement, approved by an order under this section (“the approval order”) the authority may by order revoke the approval order if it appears to them that as a result of the variation the agreement, or term, should no longer be approved for the purposes of this section.
(5) A competent authority shall make available for public inspection
(a) a copy of any agreement or term of an agreement approved by order under this section; and
(b) where an authority receive particulars of a variation of an agreement or term of an agreement under subsection (4A)(b) above and decide not to make an order under subsection (4C) above, a copy of the variation.
(6) The competent authorities for the purposes of this section are the Secretary of State, and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1976/34/section/30 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/restrictive-trade-practices-act-1976-repealed-132000/section-30
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.