Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

Deputies will be aware of widespread consumer anger about the price of goods and the growing fear of those on tight budgets. While I am not on a particularly tight budget, I returned from my local Spar outlet the other day having paid almost €100 for a basket of goods which had very little in it. I appreciate the Minister earns €5,000 per week and probably has her driver do her shopping, but rising prices are beginning to hurt.

Yesterday, the National Consumer Agency published an interesting price survey which showed that when VAT and excise are excluded, Tesco own brand prices are 17% higher in the Republic than in the North, whereas the difference between branded items is 28%. While it may be possible to attribute the difference of 17% to higher operating costs in the Republic, one cannot justify a price differential of 28%. In the case of Dunnes Stores, own brand goods in the South cost 11% more than in the North, while branded items cost 31% more, indicating an unjustified mark-up of 20%.

Surveys carried out by political parties, newspapers and the National Consumer Agency have provided sufficient evidence of the problem. The time for analysis is over and the time for action is upon us. We know from the independent survey published by the National Consumer Agency that prices for branded goods are more or less the same across supermarkets. Does the Minister accept that her advice to shop around is rubbish?

The Minister's statement that she met representatives of Retail Ireland and IBEC indicates she met press officers or policy officers. Who did she meet from Tesco, Lidl and Dunnes Stores? When did she meet them and what did she say to them?

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