Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 81: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if she will make a statement on her proposed code of conduct for the grocery sector. [44601/09]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Renewed Programme for Government contains a specific commitment to "implement a Code of Practice for doing business in the Grocery Goods sector to develop a fair trading relationship between retailers and their suppliers" and "to review progress of the Code and if necessary to put in place a mandatory code".

The House will be aware that I launched a public consultation process seeking the views of all stakeholders in relation to the introduction of a Code of Practice for Grocery Goods Undertakings earlier this year. Responses were received from a wide range of stakeholders including retailers, producers, suppliers, public bodies, commentators and consumers. These responses are currently being analysed by my Department.

The commitment to introduce a Code of Practice in the Grocery Goods Sector follows a series of actions undertaken by my Department and its agencies within the past 18 months, aimed at ensuring that there is the greatest degree of transparency possible as to the reasons for the differentials in retail prices, particularly between this jurisdiction and Northern Ireland. These actions included National Consumer Agency Price Surveys; the Forfás Report on the Cost of Running Retail Operations in Ireland; and the Competition Authority Study on the Retail-Related Import and Distribution Sector.