Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 40: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the progress made to date with regard to the implementation of the report of the Consumer Strategy Group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11267/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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As I advised the House previously, the Consumer Strategy Group report, Make Consumers Count, was published in May 2005 and to date considerable progress has been made in progressing its recommendations. The report's core recommendation that a new national consumer agency, incorporating the existing Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs, be established was fully accepted by the Government. Preparations for the establishment of the new agency are well under way. In this regard, I hope to publish the legislation establishing the new agency later this year and to have the NCA up and running early in 2007.

The Deputy will be aware that I appointed a board to the NCA in June 2005 to act in an interim capacity until the agency is formally established. Since its appointment, the interim board of the NCA has been very active in advocating the consumer's cause and raising the awareness of consumer rights. The interim board has been allocated funding to allow it to continue and intensify its activities throughout the course of 2006. In addition to being a forceful advocate on behalf of the consumer, the interim board as part of its terms of reference will have a key role in preparing the way for the fully operational agency itself.

The other significant recommendation in the Consumer Strategy Group report related to the abolition of the groceries order. The Deputy will be aware that on Monday of this week I signed the order to commence the Competition (Amendment) Act 2006. The new Competition Act will finally abolish the Groceries Order 1987, which kept the prices of groceries in Ireland at an artificially high level by allowing suppliers to specify minimum prices below which products could not be sold. The new Act will also strengthen the provisions of the 2002 Competition Act by specifically prohibiting the fixing of minimum retail prices by suppliers, unfair discrimination in the grocery trade and the payment of advertising allowances and "hello money".

On other recommendations of the CSG, a number of the recommendations relating to my Department have already been implemented. The Deputy will be aware that the fines for breaching consumer protection laws have been significantly increased as recommended by the CSG. Furthermore, the fundamental review of the existing code of consumer protection law, as recommended by the CSG, is already under way and additional resources have been dedicated by my Department to this task.

The CSG report contains over 30 separate recommendations involving a variety of different Departments and agencies whose activities directly impact upon the interests of consumers. Given the scope of the CSG's report, a high level interdepartmental committee was established to examine and prepare a detailed plan for the implementation of the recommendations. The committee's report, which was endorsed by the Government, was recently published on my Department's website.

Considerable progress has been made in progressing the recommendations of the CSG since the publication of its report. I am determined that this progress will continue throughout the coming year and I am confident that, together with the interim board of the NCA, progress will continue to be made to the benefit of consumers.