BUPA/CHG hospital merger blocked

Stephen Byers, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, has decided not to permit the merger between the British United Provident Association Limited (BUPA) and Community Hospitals Group plc (CHG).He has also decided not to permit the mergers between BUPA, CHG and Salomon International LLC, and between Salomon International LLC and CHG.Mr Byers accepted the conclusions of the Competition Commission (CC), contained in their report which he is publishing today, and the advice of the Director General of Fair Trading (DGFT), also published today, that these mergers would be against the public interest.Frontier (London) provided advice to General Healthcare Group throughout the inquiry.