Michael Ahern (Cork East, Fianna Fail)

Market share is only one criterion to be used in deciding if a firm holds sufficient power to be considered dominant. A firm with a large market share might not be considered dominant if because of other factors it is not in a position to exercise power over the market. Similarly if all the other criteria pointed to market power, a firm with a small market share might be considered dominant. If we change the law to say that a firm with a 30% market share is automatically dominant and one with less than that is not, we will eliminate the flexibility and destroy the law beyond redemption. Worse, we would run the risk of destroying all vestige of competition in the economy.

Deputy Howlin criticised a former chairman of the Competition Authority for his preoccupation with price and said that price is not the be all and end all.

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