Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----is totally contrary to any form of competition and would militate against the consumer. Any market is based on the meeting of two different sides and bidding down the price. It is a question of supply and demand depending on the pressure. However, the suggestion that people should be able, through the invoice they serve, to define the price at which goods will be sold is what would be called resale price maintenance. That is a well recognised abuse of competition, yet the Deputy is not only suggesting that we would tolerate resale price maintenance but that we would also make it an obligatory requirement by introducing it into our law. It is totally contrary to any form of competition approach that protects consumers. Consumers cannot have suppliers telling them the price at which they must buy, and enforce it by law. That is not a marketplace, it is some sort of regime for suppliers. I do not support that.

We need healthy competition in the marketplace, which involves people having to compete. They should not be able to write their own price and know they will get it because it is protected by law. That is not competition. When Deputy Calleary's own party leader had this portfolio, he decided it should not be in our law. The abolition of the restricted prices order-----

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