Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on Fifth Stage. What the Minister has done with regard to this legislation is to give a blank cheque to large retailers here, many of them multinational retailers, to wipe out the smaller players within the industry, squeeze the consumer and ensure retailers get even larger returns than they do currently. What are the annual profits of these large multinationals and major retailers, for example, Dunnes Stores, Superquinn or Tesco? These profits are not disclosed to the public and this gives rise to serious questions.

While we all accept the groceries order was outdated, some key elements of it benefited consumers. The Minister of State may argue that this legislation is pro-consumer but that it does not allow for rebates or discounts to be passed on to the consumer means it is anti-consumer. No safeguards are in the legislation with regard to predatory pricing which is anti-consumer and anti rural Ireland. This legislation is bad for rural Ireland, the elderly and those on the poverty line. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is very much against it for that reason.

Significant numbers of people in rural areas do not have their own transport, nor, thanks to the Government, access to public transport. They will not have access to basic foodstuffs in their local community or village shop as a result of this legislation. In recent years the Government has closed down much of our post office network. Now, this legislation will close many of our rural shops and on the edge of major towns we will see massive supermarkets——

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