Ciarán Ahern (Dublin South West, Labour)
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130. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the significant increases in airline ticket prices to Prague following the Irish men’s national football team’s World Cup qualifying round draw is in line with consumer protection laws; if he will instruct the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to investigate same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68445/25]

Ciarán Ahern (Dublin South West, Labour)
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131. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will instruct the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to investigate airline ticket price hikes for major events in advance of the UEFA club football qualifying draws next July, which could see four Irish clubs travelling abroad for crucial games, given recent increase in prices for tickets to Prague following the Irish men’s national football team’s World Cup qualifying round draw; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68446/25]

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 130 and 131 together.

Traders in Ireland are free to set and change their prices for goods and services, based on demand, once they do so independently and in line with consumer protection legislation.

Dynamic pricing is a common practice in sectors such as the airline and hotel industry, where prices vary based on demand and timing. The practice is not prohibited if it complies with consumer protection law.

Consumer law requires traders to provide certain information to consumers before purchase. This includes the total price, inclusive of taxes and fees, allowing consumers to make the informed decision in advance of the sale, whether to purchase or not.

Consumer law prohibits also businesses from engaging in misleading, aggressive, or unfair commercial practices. A commercial practice is regarded as misleading if the trader does not act in good faith and misleads a consumer into taking an action that they may otherwise not take. The Act also prohibits traders from making a false representation that a product is available only for a limited time, or on particular terms for a limited time.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is the independent statutory body responsible for the promotion and enforcement of competition and consumer law. It monitors compliance across all sectors of the market, including travel, and investigates potential breaches, prohibited practices and offences.

It is important to note that the CCPC is not a price regulator and as such has no rule in the setting, reviewing or approving price increases across the economy.

As an independent body, when the CCPC receives complaints on pricing, it assesses them to see if they indicate a possible breach of one of the areas of competition or consumer protection law that it is tasked with enforcing and then determines the course of action required.