Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

Senator Quinn's opinions might be worth exploring in the consultation process. I am sure his submission has gone to the Minister of State in private as well as in this House and it should be examined in detail. When speaking of consumers, we too often consider the people who buy only one item over counters. As both Senators White and Coghlan are aware, business people are increasingly becoming consumers. Most businesses in Ireland are SMEs and have withstood unprecedented increased prices for utilities, electricity and commercial rates, which have risen by 80% in many counties in recent years. Smaller businesses have not been in a position to pass their costs on to the end consumer because they do not manufacture or trade their products. It is an unavoidable scenario that they must withstand these charges.

Any consumer agency should be cognisant of small businesses as consumers of semi-State products and services and local authority services. The various remunerations through benchmarking, particularly in local authorities, are not based on performance in the way they should be. Small businesses are entitled to this recognition. When the interdepartmental team has completed the implementation and establishment of the agency, I hope it is mindful of this fact.

While the agency will educate us in an attempt to take us away from the mediocrity we have settled for as consumers for so long, I hope it will have the teeth necessary to enforce regulations and to represent consumers in the way they have wished to be represented for many years, which we have failed to do. As I have often said, there are many reasons for failure but no there are no excuses. I am confident that the Minister of State and his colleagues, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Martin, and the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Ahern, will give this agency the teeth it requires to do its job in such a way as to be representative of individual and business consumers when following those recommendations of the consumer strategy group that can be implemented. SMEs and home-grown family businesses, for example, need this type of representation.