Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

Preparations on legislation to amalgamate the NCA and the Competition Authority has commenced. It will be introduced in conjunction with the amendments to the Competition Act arising from the review of that legislation. I hope to finalise the Bill as quickly as possible. As the Deputy can appreciate, other issues must be addressed, particularly those appertaining to people. The Bill will not detract from the statutory role of either agency.

Regarding the other legislation, I indicated that my preferred option was to work with the retail trade. If we cannot achieve an outcome, legislation may need to be considered.

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