Vol. 569 No. 3
167 Mr. Neville asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the outcome of her consideration of the report and recommendations of the review group which reported on the competition law and administration and the recommendations of the authority in relation to the size of shops here and the Groceries Order. [17411/03]
I presume the Deputy is referring to the final report of the competition and mergers review group, which was published in 2000. The review group made wide-ranging recommendations in relation to competition and merger law and I implemented many of their recommendations via the Competition Act 2002 by reforming and consolidating competition and merger legislation into one statute. One of the recommendations of the review group proposed that the Groceries Order should be repealed, a view shared by the Competition Authority. However, following my consideration of the views of all interested parties and taking into account the interest of consumers, I decided to retain the order in October 2000, while also indicating that the matter would be kept under review.
Since then there have been a number of changes in the grocery sector, in particular the arrival of the so-called "discounters" who continue to increase their share of the market. In addition, as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, I am dedicated to tackling any factors which impinge negatively on consumers or which contribute to inflationary pressures. In the light of this I am currently considering what action, if any, is appropriate in relation to the Groceries Order.
The size of shops is an issue covered by the retail planning guidelines, which are the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, who recently announced his intention to carry out a review of the guidelines. I understand that it is anticipated that any such review will examine the performance of the guidelines to date and will involve a consultation process with interested parties.
