Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

I would not expect the Minister to say anything other than that I have a negative view of the Competition Authority but that is not the case. I have a positive view of the authority. The Minister stated he does not interfere in the role of the Competition Authority, in other words, he does not give it any leadership, but he also stated he would be happy to make observations about particular matters to the Competition Authority. I ask him to make an observation and take into account the observation I now make. The total budget and resources of the Competition Authority is €5 million. There will be €2 million to €2.5 million used up on this case in costs. What will the Minister do, in terms of his observations to the Competition Authority, to ensure its work programme is completed and that that is done independently, as I agree it should be independent?

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