Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)

I propose to share time with Deputies Kehoe, Ring and Deenihan.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important motion and congratulate my colleague, Deputy Hogan, on introducing it and on the work he has done over a considerable period of time in combating rip-off Ireland. He was the first and most important person to highlight the whole aspect of the rip-off culture. Eddie Hobbs took it to a different level with the medium of television and the humour to bring it to a mass audience. I commend Deputy Hogan for his consistent work and the tenacity with which he has followed the issue over a considerable time.

There is no doubt that the Government has failed the people in controlling prices. It appears unconcerned and almost disconnected, feeling that it is almost not a political issue. It has had a wake-up call on the issue over the past few months, and it now knows that it is a serious political matter. The people of Ireland are deeply annoyed and, of course, out of pocket because of the rampant rip-off the Government has tolerated.

In many instances, the Government has facilitated such rip-off and acted against the consumer. In spite of an announcement by the Minister, we still do not know the state of the groceries order. Is it to be abolished, amended or left as it is? This matter is still up in the air. If the Government was serious about controlling prices, a decision would have been made quickly and decisively on the issue. Even still the Minister prevaricates and fails to bring the matter to a conclusion.

The Government has facilitated 36 distinct stealth taxes and it has ensured that the Competition Authority is without teeth. It is essentially a cover-up for inaction by the Government. If the Government wants to be serious on the issue, it must give real power to the Competition Authority, ensuring that it has the competence to carry out its work and bring issues of concern through the legal system.

The authority's work must be funded and it should have adequate resources to carry out the role it has been charged with, instead of being stymied. The authority should have real power to ensure that its work is completed. If the Government is serious about ensuring a level of competition, a competent and well-funded Competition Authority with real power must be introduced. This authority could process complaints through a quick, effective and efficient system, with an early decision emerging. Complaints and concerns should not drag on for weeks, months or even years. Such circumstances equate to a cover-up.

Competition in areas identified by Deputy Hogan has a serious impact on the economy. The level of competition in banking is an example as it is an important resource for any functioning economy. The cartels and high charges evident and the consequential profits in banking highlight and expose the lack of competition. We have spoken for many years about the insurance sector. While there has been some improvement, the insurance industry still does not have the competitive edge to bring insurance costs to an acceptable level. We should highlight the difficulty experienced by young people in obtaining insurance.

Several Deputies have mentioned competition in the cement industry. This has been an important matter over the past few years because of the need for cement in the production of housing. There is a further need for housing development. There is differential pricing for home heating and gas, which is squeezing out smaller players and leading to cartels of big operators. In addition, young people are being charged third level fees.

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