Disclosure of member’s interest

Professor Paul Geroski, the Chairman of the Competition Commission wishes to appoint Roger Davis, a member of the Commission, to the Group that is conducting this investigation.

In about 1983, as a partner in Coopers & Lybrand (a predecessor firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)), Mr Davis was asked by the Government independently to advise on the operation of the RPI-x formula, and particularly the value of "x", preparatory to the privatisation of British Telecommunications plc. This was a formula for BT as a whole, and he concentrated on the core telecommunications business. Mr Davis did not give any specific consideration to Yellow Pages. His involvement completely ceased on privatisation in 1984 and he has had no involvement with BT nor the telecommunications or classified directory industries since that date.

Mr Davis was a partner in PwC, Yell’s and BT’s auditors, until 31 December 2003. Mr Davis has confirmed that he had no involvement with Yell.

The Competition Commission does not believe that Mr Davis’s past links with Coopers & Lybrand and PwC, or with the telecommunications industry, will compromise the ability of the group to discharge its functions in an independent and impartial manner.