Due to a time limitation statute, the owners of the Herald group of newspapers can not be ordered to honour quality pledges they made when they first bought the Herald, a commission in Scotland has stated.

While the Competition Commission on Friday said it would re-investigate the purchase of the group by Newsquest from SMG, it was found yesterday that the investigation can not occur, as there is a three-year window for such investigations, and the papers were sold four years ago, and five years ago it was first looked into whether the purchase breached competition standards.

The Herald group includes The Herald, Sunday Herald and Evening Times.

Due to Newsquest's recent announcements about planned budget and job cuts, Pete Wishart, MP for Perth and Perthshire North, has been supporting a campaign by the National Union of Journalists to have the purchase and Newsquest's pledges about the quality of the titles re-visited. Newsquest is looking to cut its budget by up to three million pounds.

Wishart said he is “disappointed that only a technicality has prevented the reopening of this investigation and given Newsquest a 'get out of jail card,'” and that he plans to raise the matter with John Hutton MP, the secretary of state for business enterprise and regulatory reform. Hutton has the authority to allow the inquiry be re-opened.