Shane McEntee (Meath, Fine Gael)
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Question 81: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the progress of his public consultation on EU price display legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37939/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Directive 98/6/EC on the requirement to indicate product prices was transposed into Irish law in Statutory Instrument No. 639 of 2002 and came into force on 1 March 2003. The directive obliges retailers to display the selling price and the unit price per kilo or litre for products. As the Deputy is aware, I will introduce major consumer legislation later this year to establish the new national consumer agency and transpose the unfair commercial practices directive into Irish law. I also decided to review certain EU and domestic secondary legislation in connection with consumer protection.

I decided to review the EU price display legislation as it impacts on a consumer every time he or she purchases a product. On 20 October 2006, I arranged for advertisements to be placed in national newspapers inviting comments on the regulations. A consultation document outlining the issues on which people may wish to comment was also produced and is available on the Department's website. I also arranged that groups and businesses with an interest in these matters be contacted. Now is an opportune time to review these regulations as the EU Commission is conducting its own review. Comments can be sent to my Department by Friday, 17 November 2006. After this, I will consider the responses and decide what further action to take.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Is the National Consumer Agency up and running and available for business?

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Yes.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I will give an example of what happens. The telephone number on the website is the Forfás switchboard. One is put through to voicemail. The person who ultimately answers that voicemail does not know much about the National Consumer Agency or its responsibilities. Another constituent of mine tried to contact the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs and was left waiting on the telephone for 30 minutes. In the end, the constituent had to hang up in frustration after that long delay. The Minister will forgive me therefore if, based on that information, I do not have much confidence in the National Consumer Agency. I ask him to ensure that the interim arrangements he has established are actually working because they have not worked to date. Effectively, since Ms Foley left office in August, there has been no proper channel of communication or opportunity for the public to make complaints or get the responses one would expect from a professional statutory body, albeit currently run on an interim basis. Consumers are angry when faced with such a frustrating experience.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I will certainly take up that issue with the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs which is operating as it always has, despite the change of personnel. There may have been a blip on that particular day but the office is up and running, as it always has been and there has been no particular change there. In fact, I recently launched the National Consumer Agency's new website, which is quite comprehensive and effective.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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It is a bit like Leas Cross — one would want to be careful what one opens or launches.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is available for the public to access in terms of rights data and so on. I hope to have the legislation ready for publication before the end of the year. It is the number one priority and is well advanced in the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. The passage of that legislation will enable us to put the agency on a statutory footing.