Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 122: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the extent to which comparisons have been made between food prices here and other EU countries, both inside and outside the eurozone; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24225/08]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Though data on increases in food and other prices are compiled on an ongoing basis by statistical bodies in Ireland and other member states, surveys comparing food prices here and in other euro area and EU countries are not routinely undertaken by these bodies. Foodstuffs, food brands, VAT rates and excise duties can differ significantly between member states and this makes the process of comparing prices across countries a complex and costly exercise.

A study undertaken for the Consumer Strategy Group in 2004 compared the price of 20 internationally branded products and 20 locally branded products in Ireland with the average price in the euro zone. It found that, when differences in VAT were taken into account, the internationally branded products were 22 per cent more expensive in Ireland than the eurozone average while the locally branded products were 3.2 per cent more expensive. Comparative surveys of consumer prices in Ireland and the eurozone were also undertaken by Forfás in 2002 and 2003.

The National Consumer Agency has recently published the results of a survey comparing the price of a range of branded and own brand goods in the Republic and Northern Ireland. The survey covered food and non-food items. It found that, after adjustments for exchange rates, VAT and excise duties, the branded goods were 28 to 31 per cent more expensive in the Republic while the own brand goods were 11 to 17 per cent more expensive.