Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

110. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the reason pricing structures in prison tuck shops are excluded from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. [24350/15]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I am interpreting the question as asking whether the pricing structures in prison tuck shops are excluded from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission's statutory remit. As the Deputy will be aware, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has a broad mandate that covers all sectors of the economy. Furthermore, in addition to its statutory responsibility for the enforcement of competition and consumer protection law, the Commission has a general mandate to promote consumer welfare within the State through, for example, the use of advocacy. The Commission’s functions are set down in Section 10 of the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014 (“the Act”) and include, inter alia:

- promoting and protecting the interests and welfare of consumers;

- enforcing the relevant statutory provisions of the Act;

- encouraging compliance with the Act generally; and

- advising Government and any public body or agency on the likely impact of their actions and/or decisions on consumer protection and welfare.

The course of action open to the Commission in respect of pricing structures in prison tuck shops, if any, would depend on the nature and details of the particular circumstances.

More generally, it is worth recalling that retail prices of goods are not regulated by Irish legislation, regardless of the retail outlet. However, price display and/or the provision of information on prices are subject to the provisions of EU Directive 98/6/EC on consumer protection in the indication of the prices of products offered to consumers and EU Directive 2005/29/EC concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market (“the Unfair Commercial Practice Directive”). Directive 98/6/EC requires that the price of a product, and where relevant, the unit price of a product, be unambiguous, easily identifiable as referring to that product, be clearly visible and legible to prospective customers and be in proximity to the product.