Written answers
Thursday, 14 December 2017
Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation
Competition and Consumer Protection Commission
Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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289. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the amount of annual budget expended on staff salaries and remuneration since the CCPC was established in euro and in percentage terms; and the amount of annual budget not expended on staff salaries and remuneration in euro and in percentage terms. [53672/17]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The information sought by the Deputy is set out in the table.
| Year | CCPC Pay Allocation | CCPC Pay Allocation Spent | % Pay Allocation Spent | Pay Not Spent | % of Pay Allocation Not Spent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | €7.556m | €5.691m | 75.32% | €1.865m | 24.68% |
| 2016 | €7.467m | €5.673m | 75.97% | €1.794m | 24.03% |
| 2017 | €7.694m |
The above table captures the relevant figures for the CCPC annual budgets in the full years since the CCPC was established on 31stOctober 2014. The outturn figures for 2017 are not yet available.
Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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290. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of staff since the CCPC was established working on competition enforcement in absolute terms and as a percentage of total staff. [53673/17]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The information sought by the Deputy is set out in the table.
| Year | No. of Staff | Full Time | Part Time | No. of staff working on competition enforcement in absolute terms | Percentage of total staff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 90 | 90 | 0 | 27 | 30.00% |
| 2016 | 89 | 89 | 0 | 23 | 25.84% |
| 2015 | 89 | 89 | 0 | 17 | 19.01% |
| 2014 | 86 | 86 | 0 | 21 | 24.42% |
*Please note that a number of these people also work on car crime and pyramid selling.
Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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291. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the figures for categories (details supplied) since the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission was established. [53674/17]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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From 31 October 2014 to 12 December 2017, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) took the following actions in relation to suspected anti-competitive conduct that does not fall within the definition of a cartel:
| Fines | Total |
|---|---|
| Investigations commenced | 9 |
| Inspections carried out | 5 |
| Prosecutions | The CCPC investigates non-cartel offences as civil offences. In some cases the CCPC may take civil action against the parties in courts. In the majority of cases the CCPC has reached settlements with the parties concerned without resorting to court actions |
| Cases concluded with fines | 0 |
| Total amount of collected and uncollected fines | N/A |
| Average fine per case | N/A |
| Average length of anti-competitive investigations to date | 19 months |
Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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292. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the annual figures for categories (details supplied) since the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission was established. [53675/17]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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From 31 October 2014 to 12 December 2017 the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) took the following actions in relation to suspected anti-competitive conduct that falls within the definition of a cartel:
| Fines | Totals |
|---|---|
| Investigations commenced | 3 |
| Inspections carried out | 23 |
| Prosecutions by Director of Public Prosecutions | 1 |
| Cases concluded with fines | 1 |
| Total amount of fines | €17,500 |
| Average fine per cartel | €17,500 |
| Total number of collected and uncollected fines | Sentencing including fines in relation to cartel conviction currently under appeal by the DPP as being “unduly lenient”. |
| Average length of cartel investigations | 18 to 24 months |
Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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293. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the status of progress to date by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission regarding concert ticketing and motor insurance inquiries, such as price signalling concerns and personal contract plans used to finance motor purchases. [53676/17]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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On the issue of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) investigations into concert ticketing and motor insurance, the CCPC is the statutory independent body responsible for the enforcement of domestic and EU competition law in the State. Section 9 (5) of the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014 provides that the CCPC is independent in the performance of its functions. I, as Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, have no direct function in such matters and thus it would be inappropriate for me to comment on these issues.
On the issue of personal contract plans used to finance motor purchases, I understand that the CCPC study into this issue is ongoing and it is hoped to finalise it soon.
Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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294. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the status of progress to date by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission regarding a screening programme for procurement processes which systematically searches for indications that bid rigging may have occurred. [53677/17]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is the statutory independent body responsible for the enforcement of domestic and EU competition law in the State. Section 9 (5) of the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014 provides that the CCPC is independent in the performance of its functions. I, as Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, have no direct function in such matters.
I am informed that the CCPC met with my colleagues Minister Donohoe and the then Minister of State Murphy in late 2016 and has had follow-up meetings with officials from the Office of Government Procurement to discuss bid-rigging and the development of a screening tool. Since then, the CCPC has continued to research screening initiatives elsewhere including an initiative launched by the Competition and Markets Authority in the UK which has the potential of being rolled out in the short term. The CCPC is planning an initiative during 2018 to give a platform to agencies from other countries to share their experiences in detecting bid rigging patterns.
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