We decided to table the motion to highlight the work of the Competition Authority. In recent years there has been a growing trend towards removing many of the tools of economic policy from the hands of national policy makers and placing them within the responsibility of transnational organisations. Interest rates are now set in Frankfurt and the annual budget is drawn up within the guidelines set down in a European Union pact. A key area in which national economic policy can make a difference is overseeing the competitive environment for business. The Competition Authority was established in 1991 as a statutory body with a specific role to enforce our competition law which is designed to protect and benefit the consumer.