Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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333. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the steps he has taken on claims of unfair competition and market abuse by SOLAS in relation to the safe pass programme; the timeline he expects the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to report to him on it; if he expects the commission to act promptly when reports are made by him; the best practice requirements he has laid down for such agencies of his Department; and the measures he will implement to address the potential conflict of interest where SOLAS acts as both a regulator and competitor in safety training. [44827/24]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I am not aware of any claims of unfair competition and market abuse by SOLAS in relation to the Safe Pass Programme.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is the statutory body responsible for promoting compliance with and enforcing competition law in Ireland. The CCPC is independent in the performance of its statutory functions as per section 9(5) of the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014.

This independence provision ensures that the CCPC’s operational work, such as enforcement matters and investigations, are independent of myself and my Department and as such, I as Minister, have no function in this regard.

If a breach of competition law is suspected, this can be reported directly to the CCPC through their website, by emailing information directly to complaints@ccpc.ie or by calling +353 1 402 5500.

As SOLAS is an agency of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, any issues, including potential conflicts of interest in carrying out their duties, would be a matter for them to consider.