Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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526. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will take action to ensure price gauging practices are banned and added to the remit of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11387/25]

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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In Ireland, consumer protection laws oblige traders to clearly display the total price, inclusive of taxes, to the consumer in advance of the sale so that the consumer can decide if they wish to proceed with the purchase.

Competition law obliges competing businesses to set their prices independently, meaning there is competitive pressure on businesses to set prices at a level that will attract customers. In rare situations, where there is a dominant supplier of a good or service, there may be circumstances where a business is considered to be in breach of competition law by charging “excessive prices”. These are very specific scenarios and cases of this type are rare across Europe. Price-fixing, where traders collude to fix prices at a certain level, is described as a cartel and this is illegal. Participants in a cartel can face criminal prosecution.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) enforces competition and consumer protection law in Ireland. It is an independent investigative and enforcement body, and I as Minister and my Department are statutorily restricted from directing it.

Where appropriate, the CCPC investigates suspected breaches of competition or consumer protection law and takes enforcement action if the investigation uncovers sufficient evidence of a breach.